A New King Emerges
by chakragoddess
Summary: Sequel to Repatriation. With their lives moving into their late teens and 20s, Naruto's generation starts pairing up, having children, and soon enough, they are the adults of the village as their kids start to form friendships, enter the academy, etc. Following Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke and many others as time marches on peacefully in Konoha.
1. Chapter 1: Birth

Hello again everyone. I very much enjoyed the short break I took after finishing "Repatriation". I was able to end the volleyball season successfully and took two week-long trips halfway across the country as well. But now it is back to business!

As of right now, Naruto is still one of my favorite mangas/animes and I have a desire to continue my writing in this particular universe. I am planning on taking things in a new direction (at least it is for me)…I am going to tackle the current Naruto generation as well as their children (OCs!) as they go through many of the same experiences as their parents did. It's a little different because writing about the story beyond what we will ever know, well, you get into territory that could possibly turn readers off if you don't do it well. OCs can be tricky. But I'm going to try…

The beginning of the story for "A New King Emerges" will delve a little into what happened in Repatriation. Soon enough, however, the new generation will start coming of age and making a mark for themselves in the Leaf. (Keep in mind, to keep the story flowing, there may be some time lapses between events and chapters).

As always, I generally do not write comments before/after every single chapter – the chapter is supposed to be about…well, the chapter and the story, right? Also, I practically killed myself keeping my promise of a once a week publish during "Repatriation". I won't make the same promise again, but I do promise I won't leave the story for months at a time as I have seen others do.

Off we go! Enjoy!

CG

OlOlOlOlOlO

"Uhhh," she groaned as she turned over trying desperately to get comfortable. She had been off of any sort of active duty for a few months already. As a result, there were no limitations on how long she could sleep on any given night, but she found herself utterly exhausted just from the situation she was in.

"Are you awake?" Naruto whispered to his still-newlywed wife.

Hinata and Naruto's wedding from about six months ago was memorable to say the least. Yes, it was true that Hinata was already pregnant at the wedding, but surprisingly, that wasn't that big a deal as compared to the other things that happened. The Leaf's precious Koshosuru twins, gifted in reading the emotions of others thus being able to tell their thought patterns and moods (and making them very valuable in diplomatic ventures), had been targeted and the wedding was attacked by two rogue shinobi. Thankfully, injuries were kept to a minimum and both the bride and groom escaped with no harm done at all.

"What do _you_ think?" answered Hinata sarcastically. She was definitely unlike her usual self. Naruto had been getting used to this new, moody side of his wife as her pregnancy neared its end…though he hoped the cause behind her moodiness would soon cease to affect her just so she could have some comfort. She was definitely not enduring the end of this pregnancy very well…not only because it was her first, but also because she was having twins.

"Do you need me to do anything?" Naruto asked kindly.

Hinata turned over again and made sure to overemphasize her flop back onto the mattress. "No," she said at first. After a few seconds, her tone changed and she added, "Thank you, Naruto. I'm sorry I keep taking this out on you."

Naruto flashed a wide toothy grin. "Its fine," he answered. "Believe me, I've been through much worse!"

Hinata smiled back, "Yes, you're right. Though I still feel bad…it's almost as if I can't control my own emotions. Even so, it's all worth it. I can't wait to hold these two in my arms."

Naruto scooted up so that he lied just behind her in a spooning position. He wrapped his arm around her and gently placed his palm on her belly. "Me neither."

OlOlOlOlOO

"You're getting close, Hinata," said the pink-haired medical shinobi who was assigned to look after her. Sakura Haruno was one of the most gifted medical shinobi in the Leaf, which made perfect sense since she was a disciple of perhaps the greatest medical shinobi ever (and current Hokage), Tsunade.

Sakura continued probing Hinata's body holding her hands above Hinata's rotund belly and letting her chakra explore every inch of the lives still waiting to be born.

"Thank you, Sak-," Hinata started to day.

"Shhh!" Sakura interrupted. Hinata complied immediately.

It was another 30 seconds before the green glow from Sakura's hands ceased and she sat up and stopped concentrating. "Sorry about that. Ok, you can talk now."

"Oh! I just wanted to say thank you, Sakura. I appreciate the fact that you are willing to look after me," Hinata said.

"I don't blame you one bit for requesting me," answered Sakura, now wiping her hands down with a clean towel she had stashed nearby. "I would definitely ask a friend if it was an option, and for you, it was."

Sakura helped Hinata sit up on the examining table by offering her hand. "Thanks," Hinata murmured. Hinata gently climbed down so that she was once again standing on the floor. "So what's the final verdict?"

"You can go to the wedding," said Sakura.

"Great!" exclaimed Hinata.

"But - ," started Sakura.

"But?" Hinata repeated.

"I want you to stay off your feet as much as possible! Your ankles and hands are really swelling. Your blood pressure is a little high as well. I'm giving you permission to attend the wedding, but you need to promise me to take it easy," said Sakura.

"At least that's one wedding I can attend," said Hinata trying to be positive about the situation.

"Huh?" asked Sakura. "Oh, you mean Gaara's wedding. You already knew there was no chance in hell you were traveling to Suna for that wedding in two weeks. At least Neji and Tenten's wedding is _this_ weekend. Pregnancies with twins often go quicker than with single babies and we have to be careful and keep you close to home."

"Oh, I'm not that disappointed. It's not even like I know him all that well," said Hinata. "I think Naruto wanted to go though. They are pretty good friends after all."

"For now, he'll just have to be satisfied with the big wedding that's going to be held here in Konoha," stated Sakura.

OlOlOlOlOlO

"So what did she say?" asked Naruto that evening knowing his wife had an appointment with Sakura at the hospital earlier that day. It was dinner time and the two of them were sitting at the kitchen table eating.

"She's ok with me going, but I need to rest and stay off my feet as much as possible," answered Hinata. "She seemed a little threatening when she told me."

"That's just Sakura-chan," said Naruto, picking up his bowl and beginning to shovel soy-heavy rice into this mouth with his chopsticks.

Hinata sat back. "And there's no way I can…," she started.

"I told you so," he said grinning. "I can't believe you would even ask about Gaara's wedding."

"I'm sorry, Naruto," she said.

"What for?" he asked.

"He's your friend, after all. Perhaps you could still go…," said Hinata.

"And leave you here? What if you go into labor while I'm gone? I'm good, but I'm not _that _good. I can't snap my fingers and travel hundreds of miles in the blink of an eye," said Naruto. "Or would you prefer to not have me there when you have the twins?"

"I'm not due for another three weeks…," she started.

"First time pregnancy with twins….don't you remember what Sakura-chan always says? Usually they go early. In fact, I'm even a little surprised they aren't here already!" exclaimed Naruto.

Hinata sat back. "Yes, I know. I remember. I just feel bad."

"You've got to get over feeling guilty for everything whether it is in your control or not," said Naruto. "We're going to have two young ones to raise pretty soon and we're going to need to be good role models. It's no longer going to be about us." He stood up to take his bowl to the sink. "It's so hard to believe…we're the first of all of us to get married, and now we'll be the first to have a kid...and we're having _two_."

He turned and picked up Hinata's empty bowl from the space in front of her. "You don't regret it, do you?"

"Regret?" he repeated. "Oh, you mean because we are so young?"

"We are only 19, after all," she replied.

"Pssh," he said waving his hand in the air. "I love you, Hinata…and I'll love those babies. Finally, I'll have a family of my very own to love and protect. I couldn't ask for anything more."

Hinata briefly thought about Naruto's lonely childhood and all that had happened to him before he graduated from the Academy. It made sense…this would be just what he would want. There would be no regrets at all about taking things too fast for him.

OlOlOlOlOlO

The wedding was held the very same courtyard where Hinata and Naruto had gotten married less than a year ago. The main Hyuuga courtyard was now more beautiful than ever having been rebuilt only a few months ago after the attack against the Koshosuru twins by Sasuke's acquaintenances Suigetsu Hozuki from Mist and current Konoha resident Juugo. It turned out to be a huge misunderstanding – those who contracted Suigetsu and Juugo to kidnap the twins were the true enemies. Once the mess of the situation was sorted out, Suigetsu was allowed to leave Konoha once again to pursue his dream of finding the seven swords of the Mist. Juugo, on the other hand, opted to stay in Konoha. In fact, he was welcomed to live at the Uchiha compound with Sakura and Sasuke.

Music from string and wind instruments danced lightly through the air as the ceremony started and all talking amongst the guests ceased. Neji appeared in the front of the courtyard and walked up onto a small platform followed closely by Hinata's father, Hiashi. Not only was he the leader of the clan, but had become close with his nephew over the years since Neji discovered the truth about his father, Hizashi, and his death. Behind Hiashi stood Rock Lee, Neji's teammate.

Sakura and Ino were the first to appear in the back of the courtyard. With wide smiles and beautiful lilac dresses, they walked down the aisle towards where Neji stood. Once they got there, they dutifully stood to the side awaiting the bride along with everyone else.

Tenten appeared in the back of the courtyard dressed in a simple white dress that looked like a cross between silk and satin. She carried white flowers…roses…in her hands and had small white flowers adorning her flowing brown hair. She almost never wore her hair down, but was glad to oblige Neji when he asked her to just this once. To Tenten's side appeared Might Guy, Neji and Tenten's sensei and the leader of Team Guy. He was the perfect selection to give her away since Tenten had no other family to speak of. Team Guy _was_ her family so really, she wasn't being given away at all!

Slowly Guy and Tenten walked towards Neji. When they finally reached the small platform, Guy gently kissed her on her cheek and held out her hand for Neji to take.

Hinata and Naruto were near enough to the platform that they heard most of what was being said by the officiant. At one point, Hinata grabbed Naruto's hand and held it, squeezing every so often when a poignant statement was made about love or how their lives would change.

After only about 15 minutes, it was over….short, but very sweet indeed. The guests made their way to the very front of the courtyard while the remainder of the site was overhauled to make it suitable for the gathering of the friends and family who could attend. It definitely was never meant to be an over-the-top formal affair. Both Neji and Tenten just wanted a small celebration to mark the beginning of their life together as husband and wife. Hiashi was happy to comply and the preparations were made.

Naruto grabbed a plate of food from the food table and brought it back for Hinata to enjoy. She remained seated as much as possible, just as Sakura had asked her to.

Just as Naruto was able to rejoin his wife, Neji and Tenten came by to greet them.

"It was a beautiful ceremony," said Hinata making an attempt to rise from her chair.

"No, no," said Neji placing his hand on his cousin's shoulder so that she wouldn't rise. "There are no formalities here. Please, stay seated."

"After all, you have to be getting close," Tenten added, nodding at her belly.

"It could be anytime," said Naruto.

"Are you nervous?" asked Tenten to Hinata.

Before she could answer, Naruto jumped in, "Nah, not really. I can't wait until they're here!"

Hinata and Tenten simply smiled to one another knowing full well that question was meant for Hinata about her upcoming labor.

"Naruto, can you do me a favor and find Sakura for me?" Hinata asked with a smile.

"Oh sure," he responded not even thinking why his wife would need to see the person handling her delivery right this minute. In actuality, Hinata wanted to talk to both Tenten and Neji for a moment about the Hyuuga clan and as much as she loved Naruto, this wasn't exactly something he'd have an interest in hearing.

"Is everything ok?" Tenten asked.

"I'm fine," said Hinata. "I was curious though, Tenten…are you taking the Hyuuga name?"

"I was going to. Why…is there a problem with that?" Tenten responded. "I know the clan and the family name are important to you. That's why you are still 'Hyuuga' and not an 'Uzumaki', right?"

"No, no….I mean, yes," Hinata responded. She shook her head in confusion. "What I meant to say is….when I saw you two up there confessing your love and stating your vows, I couldn't help but think that this is a new time for the Hyuuga clan. We generally don't marry outside of the clan and here two of its most important figures have married outsiders just this year. We don't even know how this will affect the bloodline." She paused to collect her thoughts. "I was just thinking, we should formalize the plans for the clan's future, don't you think?"

"I'm not sure I understand," said Tenten.

"I think I do," said Neji. "With children in the clan who are only half-Hyuuga, there may be some question as to who is actually the heir, or if the head family is truly the head family, or if a half-Hyuuga can lead…"

"Neji, as you know, changes to the clan have already started. We don't put that mark on everyone anymore...and there's a lot more unity," noted Hinata. "I just want to continue to formalize…to get the elder's approval…the path forward from here." Suddenly she gritted her teeth and let out a grunt. She doubled over and grabbed her belly.

"Hinata!" both Tenten and Neji yelled at once.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Hinata sat in the bed as the world around her seemed to whiz by. Naruto was firmly planted next to her, holding her hand, but other medical shinobi and nurses were constantly checking this or that or giving her instructions or support each and every time a labor pain hit.

"Ohhh!" she shouted all of a sudden.

"Another one?" asked Naruto. "They're coming so fast now!"

Hinata tried to concentrate to get through the unbearable without yelling, but it was quickly becoming too much for her.

The pain wound down and Hinata spied a flash of pink among those who were tending to her.

"Sakura?" she questioned.

"You're doing fine, Hinata," said Sakura.

"No, I, um...," Hinata started.

"Y'know, if you were in labor at the wedding, you should have sent Naruto to get me sooner," said Sakura almost as an afterthought as she put a glove on her hand and gently squeezed some lubricant on her fingers.

"I didn't - ," she started again, but was interrupted again. She couldn't quite get out that her sending Naruto to find her was a ploy for temporary privacy so she could talk to Neji and Tenten and really had nothing to do with being in labor.

"I'm going to check you now. Based on the intensity and duration of the pain as well as the fact that you, for the most part, don't have much down time in between contractions anymore, I'd venture a guess that you are just about ready," said Sakura.

"Here comes another one!" Hinata urged. Sakura checked Hinata once her contraction had eased.

Hinata looked at Sakura trying to read her thoughts before she said them out loud. "I'd say that you are complete, Hinata. Actually, I'm kind of surprised that - ," said Sakura, but was quickly interrupted by Hinata this time.

"I have to push!" she shouted. She pushed back on the bed just a bit having now felt this new, unfamiliar feeling.

"Hold on," said Sakura. Sakura started barking out orders to the staff around her making sure that everything was prepped and read for the second stage of labor.

"Sakura!" Hinata shouted when the next wave hit and all she wanted to do was bear down as a result. "I can't - "

"Go ahead," said Sakura firmly when all was finally in place. Sakura dutifully remained near Hinata's feet watching any and all progress being made.

"Sakura, that was only a couple of hours," said Naruto, still sitting at Hinata's head and wiping her brow every so often. "Does it usually go that fast?"

"No, not really," answered Sakura. "But everyone is different. I've seen a few faster than Hinata, but usually it lasts between 12 and 24 hours".

"Here it comes," Hinata informed her supporters.

"Ok, we're ready," answered Sakura.

Hinata bore down and pushed while Sakura counted to ten. She then released, took a large breath, and started to push while Sakura counted to ten again.

"You're doing great," Naruto encouraged her when this go-round was done.

After 30 minutes of pushing, Hinata deemed fit to ask, "How much longer?"

"Not long now. Maybe three or four more," Sakura answered.

Knowing that it was nearing the end, Hinata was immediately strengthened and pushed even harder the next few pushes.

Then she heard Sakura say, "Hold on, Hinata...stop for a minute..."

Hinata could feel Sakura touching her. "Ok, one last push for baby number one," said Sakura.

Hinata pushed one last time and felt something like a release. Before she knew it, there was a baby laying face down on top of her still-pregnant tummy. One of the assistant med-nins was wiping the baby off briskly with a towel. Hinata instinctively grabbed both the baby under its arms and held it to her.

"It's a boy," said Naruto lowly so only Hinata could hear him. Tears started welling in his eyes. He wiped them off with the inside of his sleeve.

The assistant cleared the baby's nostrils and mouth and placed something on his cord. Then he motioned for Naruto to cut, which he did.

"Naruto, go with my assistant and the baby to the table over there," instructed Sakura. Once the baby was gone, Sakura quickly felt Hinata's abdomen. She quickly checked her vaginally as well. Hinata noted her look went from very serious to almost relieved.

"What's going on, Sakura?" Hinata asked.

"Are you ready for number two?" Sakura asked. "It's in a perfect position."

"Sure, I guess," said Hinata. "Isn't something supposed to...OWW!"

"It doesn't take long before the contractions normally start up again, but it won't be nearly as long this time," said Sakura.

Naruto walked back over to be with Hinata.

"How is he?" she asked.

"Perfect," he said.

In only ten additional minutes, a second baby had been delivered in a similar manner to the first. Naruto kissed his wife gently on the forehead when both babies were out.

"A boy and a girl," he whispered to Hinata.

"Did you already pick out names?" asked Sakura who was still sitting near Hinata's feet taking care of the remnants of the birth.

Hinata loving looked at Naruto. "Yes."

"Kiro and Aiko," said Naruto, proudly.


	2. Chapter 2: There's No Rush

"Do we have to?" asked Sasuke as Sakura led him to the Hyuuga compound one foggy evening. "We've seen them a million times already."

"I promised Hinata that we'd drop by _tonight_," insisted Sakura.

"You just want to see the babies; it isn't about Hinata or Naruto at all," noted Sasuke.

Sakura stopped walking and turned to face her fiancé. "Sasuke Uchiha, I don't pressure you at all. I don't ask you about when we're getting married or when we're having kids. The least you could do is let me see their babies since we aren't even close to having any of our own!"

"But - ," said Sasuke. But right then, they got to the front door and it opened without them even having to knock.

"Sakura, Sasuke, please come in!" said a very pleasant Hinata in hostess mode.

"Thank you," said Sakura, taking a step into the house and giving Sasuke one last look.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes as his fiancée's overly mannerly greeting to a woman who had been her friend since their academy days.

Hinata giggled. "Hello to you, too, Sasuke."

He followed Sakura inside and sat down so that he could take off his shoes.

"How are the babies," Sakura asked Hinata. "Did Aiko's fever last much longer?" Sakura was referring to the last time she saw Aiko at the hospital due to a prolonged fever.

"No, not really. That powder you gave me really did the trick. By the next morning, the fever had broken," said Hinata.

"That's good to hear," said Sakura.

"I'm going to find Naruto," said Sasuke, no longer wanting to sit there and listen to idle chat about the babies.

"Oh, um, he should be in the living room," said Hinata. "Though Sasuke, please be quiet...the babies are probably asleep."

"Thanks," said Sasuke before walking to where he figured Naruto would be.

Sasuke headed towards the living room. He found Naruto sitting in his favorite chair, feet raised, reading from a pile of papers.

"Dobe," Sasuke greeted.

"Oh hey! Sasuke, you guys are here," said Naruto.

"Don't tell me you are seriously working. The work day is long gone and tomorrow's the weekend," noted Sasuke.

"Well, you know," said Naruto. "We all can't be regular shinobi like you, Teme. I have my - "

"Yes, yes, your responsibilities," said Sasuke waving his hand at his friend. "Must be hard being the Hokage-to-be."

Naruto knew Sasuke was just teasing him so he didn't take anything he said seriously.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Hinata brought Sakura to the kitchen where they could talk. Sakura loved to discuss how the twins were doing and what milestones they were reaching. She was interested as the medical shinobi who delivered them as well as being a good friend. Even though she only saw them every once in a while, she still felt very connected to them..like they were somehow her responsibility.

Just the same, Hinata loved to talk about her children to anyone who would listen. The two of them paired up made for a long night of endless talking with babies being the main topic of the conversation.

"What have they done lately?" Sakura asked.

"Kiro loves his feet and he grabs them and sticks his toes into his mouth…and Aiko just recently found herself in the mirror. It's so cute!" proclaimed Hinata.

Sakura sighed, but looked a little melancholy.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" asked Hinata.

"Oh, it's nothing," said Sakura.

"I have a nice shoulder here for you to cry on if you ever need it," prodded Hinata.

Sakura paused, then smiled. "No, it's fine. I'm just a little jealous, that's all."

"I thought as much. But you already know you can drop by here whenever you want, even if it is just to see the twins and not Naruto or me," said Hinata.

"Thanks, Hinata. I already feel like I'm in your lives enough as it is. But even so, I'm not sure it's enough for me," explained Sakura.

"What do you mean?" asked Hinata.

"Here you and Naruto are, happily married and two kids in your home already. I'm not even married yet. And kids? Who knows when that will happen?" explained Sakura.

Hinata giggled.

"What's so funny?" Sakura asked.

"Just the irony of the situation," she answered. "Isn't Sasuke the one who needs to repopulate a clan? And here you are his soon-to-be wife pining for the kids to come sooner rather than later."

Sakura giggled as well. "I guess you're right. I never thought of that."

"But seriously Sakura, if you want it that much, why don't you push him a little harder? You know how stubborn he is. Sometimes you have to practically knock him upside the head with something before he sees what is so clear to the rest of us," said Hinata.

"Don't I know it," said Sakura. "There's just one thing that is holding me back from saying anything."

"That is…?" asked Hinata.

"I just have this feeling down in my gut that my life is really going to change once Sasuke and I get married and have kids. And I don't mean in a bad way necessarily. I'm just not sure if I'm prepared to make those kinds of changes just yet. I'm sure he'd marry me in an instant if I asked. I'm sure he's sensing my hesitation though."

"Sounds to me like you have cold feet," said Hinata. "If you are waiting for the perfect time, or a signal from God, you might be waiting a little while. There is never a perfect time, Sakura."

Hinata turned her head, hearing a cry coming from the babies' room. She rose to see who it was and Sakura followed.

Following Hinata to the babies' room, Sakura continued to think about the situation, thinking carefully about what Hinata just said. Sure, she enjoyed her shinobi life - danger, missions, freedom and the thrill of it all - but something was pulling her towards becoming a mother and leaving her current life behind, even if just temporarily. She was envious in a way of her friend and the progress she and Naruto had made in making their family. Was now the time to say something to Sasuke? Should she open that can of worms just yet?

OlOlOlOlOlO

"Is it getting any better?" asked Sasuke, taking a seat on the sofa.

Naruto placed his papers aside. "No, not really," he answered. "The constant crying and diaper changing….Hinata is taking on most of it since she's not on active duty any longer, but still, it can be frustrating."

He looked at Sasuke.

"So when are you planning to go through all this? Don't you need to repopulate your clan?" Naruto asked. He meant it jokingly, but Sasuke wasn't really sure exactly how much was a joke with the serious undertone he sensed.

"I don't know, Dobe. You don't seem to be very happy…," Sasuke offered.

"What? Don't get me wrong, Sasuke. I never said I wasn't happy. It's just hard to get used to. It's the biggest change to my life that I've ever experienced. I thought getting married would be huge, but it is nothing like having a child," Naruto explained.

"Ah, I see," Sasuke replied, and didn't say anything else.

Naruto raised his eyebrows as if to prod his friend a little more.

"What?" asked Sasuke.

"So when are you going to get married and have kids?" Naruto re-asked the question that was never answered.

"Seriously," Sasuke facepalmed. "You are cornering me for an answer about that?"

Naruto nodded.

"To be honest, I'm sort of waiting for Sakura," Sasuke said.

"Sakura? But you are already engaged. She said she would marry you and that was a while ago," noted Naruto.

"Yeah, but I'm being extra-cautious. The whole 'repopulate the clan' business can get old at times and I don't' want her thinking that is my only expectation once we start having kids. She's a powerful kunoichi and a damn good medical shinobi. It needs to be her who decides when she is ready to make the next step. Didn't you just lament how big the changes are when the kids start coming?"

"Touché, Sasuke. I get it," said Naruto. He paused. "I'll just have to start bugging _her_ then."

"Naruto, don't badger her!" said Sasuke.

"Ok, ok, I was just kidding," said Naruto.

"Next topic please," said Sasuke putting an end to that particular subject.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Hinata and Sakura arrived in Kiro and Aiko's room which was situated directly next to the master bedroom in case any attention needed to be paid to the babies in the middle of the night. Feedings were still happening two times a night as it was and Hinata wanted to make the distance between herself and them as small as possible so as not to disturb Naruto who would need to get up in the morning.

Hinata reached into the crib and lifted Kiro, who was the one who had been obviously crying, into her arms. She walked over to the rocking chair and took a seat and started feeding him.

"So are you guys invited to Kiba's wedding?" asked Hinata as she gently rocked.

"Yeah, are you going?" asked Sakura.

"You know how Naruto is. He's not Hokage and who even knows when he'll become Hokage, but he still feels the need to attend everything he possibly can just to make the right impression," said Hinata.

"You sound like you don't want to go," said Sakura.

"I love Kiba. I mean, he's my teammate after all. And so is Shino and he is getting married in a few months as well, but I'm just a little uncomfortable with the whole clan thing," admitted Hinata.

"But Hinata, you live here with your clan as well," noted Sakura. "I would have thought if anyone understood clans and how they work it would have been you."

"Yeah, I guess that didn't make a lot of sense. Let me try to explain. The Inuzuka clan and the Aburame clan are really…strange. Possessive? Doubtful of outsiders? I don't know quite how to put it." Hinata tried to explain. "As close as the three of us got as teammates, there was still this uncrossable line between them and their clans. Now they are marrying within their clans as well, so it really is a clan event and I'm not sure how much the invitations were only sent for etiquette purposes vs. how much they really want us there."

"Hinata, I'm sure they want us there. We all practically grew up together, y'know?" Sakura tried to ease Hinata's doubts. "Either way, even if we are the outcasts and everyone else ignores us, at least we'll be there together and can still wish them well."

"I guess that's true," noted Hinata. "I just really wish I knew if they really wanted us there."

"I think you are being too sensitive on the matter," said Sakura. "Just trust me. They love you and want you there for their most precious day for sure."

OlOlOlOlOlO

"Are you going to Shikamaru's farewell party?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke paused to think for a moment. "It's really a shame that he's actually leaving. When is the party?"

"Next Saturday," said Naruto. "The week before Kiba's wedding."

"Isn't he marrying some girl from his clan?" asked Sasuke diverting from the Shikamaru topic.

"Yeah, I think her name is Dakishi or something. She's not a shinobi," said Naruto.

"Shino just got engaged as well, didn't he? He just met his fiancé a few weeks ago," noted Sasuke.

"It was kind of an arranged thing. Shino and the Aburames aren't exactly the most emotional people. Can you even imagine Shino falling in love or chasing after a girl?" asked Naruto.

"Not really" quipped Sasuke. "And even if he did find someone, we probably wouldn't have a clue because he wouldn't change at all. He'd still be as grumpy as ever."

"Let me tell you, things within both those clans work a little differently. I've had to learn about all the clans who align themselves with Konoha as part of my leadership training. They are very big on keeping the bloodlines pure else the connection with their animals and insects won't be as strong."

"I see. Makes sense," noted Sasuke. "It kind of sucks for them if they happen to fall in love outside of the clan then."

"It doesn't happen often," said Naruto. "On average, there is a non-clan wedding only about once a generation."

"I guess the Nara clan isn't quite as strict," said Sasuke turning the conversation back to Shikamaru. "He is leaving Konoha for love after all."

"Everyone's getting married," noted Naruto.

Sasuke flashed him another look to shut the hell up about him and Sakura and Naruto dutifully obeyed with a slight grin.

"Twenty is a good age to marry, especially as a shinobi. The average life span is a little shorter than your everyday Konoha citizen," said Sasuke.

"Sadly, that is the case. The data proves it. Though for the more powerful shinobi, I don't think it's a huge consideration. I'm not planning on dying young. I'm going to be as old as the Third when I go," said Naruto.

"Me, too," said Sasuke.

Just then the ladies entered the room. "…yes, and we're going Saturday night as well," said Sakura to Hinata.

"Saturday night? Shikamaru's farewell party?" asked Sasuke. "Did you get the invitation?"

"Yeah, a few days ago, didn't I tell you?" asked Sakura in return.

"No, Naruto just told me," said Sasuke. Sakura sat down on the sofa next to Sasuke and Hinata sat on the arm of Naruto's chair.

"I can't believe he's really going," said Hinata.

"You're telling me. Instead of being _my_ closest advisor, now he will be Gaara's," said Naruto.

"Naruto, you don't know that. He's going to Sand to be with Temari, but nothing was ever said about him in Gaara's team of advisors."

Naruto smiled. "There is no way in hell that he'd go all the way there to sit back and be a house-husband. And Sand is our closest ally, too. Allowing him to serve on Gaara's panel is the most logical thing…," said Naruto.

"Doesn't the Hokage have to give him permission, at least if he wants to technically remain a Leaf shinobi and wear the headband?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto made a face and quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

"So you know about this already and weren't supposed to tell anyone, right?" asked Sakura.

Naruto freed his hand. "Kind of." His cheeks started to glow a slight pink. He had made a mistake - albeit a low-risk one - but he was embarrassed nonetheless.

"Don't worry, Naruto, we won't say anything," said Hinata.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Sasuke and Sakura walked out of Naruto and Hinata's home and watched as their two friends waved good-bye from their doorway. Once they were a sufficient distance away, they started to talk.

"Do you think Juugo's home?" asked Sakura.

"I think he has a friend in town. He'll probably be out late," said Sasuke.

"Friend?" Sakura questioned.

"Yeah, now that he is caring for all the messenger birds for the Leaf, he's had a chance to connect with some of the shinobi in other villages who do the same thing," explained Sasuke.

A while ago, Juugo and a few others had been challenged to complete a course of sorts that would enable them to either leave the village peacefully (as Suigetsu did), become a Konoha shinobi (Karin opted for this), or become a non-shinobi citizen of the Leaf. He opted for the latter choice really having no home and no desire to fight anyone ever again. Because they were good friends and former teammates, Sasuke invited him to live in the recently rebuilt Uchiha compound with him and Sakura. At some point, Sasuke envisioned that the compound would be full of clan members once again; however, he knew that he probably wouldn't live to see that day. It would probably take quite a few generations after him for that to happen.

Juugo was asked to take on the task of caring for the messenger birds belonging to Konoha. He was optimal for that job and with him doing it, it freed up other well-trained shinobi from having to feed and clean the important birds. They would now be able to concentrate on other matters that the Leaf really needed them for.

"Juugo never said a friend was visiting," said Sakura.

"He told me he got some random message a few weeks back that had a green stamp on it," said Sasuke.

"Green stamp? So not confidential, open to all eyes?" asked Sakura.

A green-stamped message was the only kind Juugo was permitted to open on his own. It was the lowest priority, non-emergency message that could be sent.

"When he opened it, it turned out to be from a shinobi from Sand who was in the same position Juugo is in. He sent the message as mere exercise for a bird that hadn't been used in a while and told Juugo that he thought the various caretakers of the birds could get to know each other using this method. Since then, a network of sorts has started around this exercise program and many villages have opted to join in," explained Sasuke.

"So who is he with tonight?" asked Sakura.

"Some guy from Hidden Cloud happened to be in town on a low-level mission and they arranged to meet face-to-face," said Sasuke.

Sakura decided to grab Sasuke's hand as they walked. It wasn't normal for Sakura – or Sasuke for that matter – to show affection of any sort in public. However, it did happen from time-to-time, normally when one of them was feeling particularly romantic or emotional.

"Sasuke?" Sakura said to get his attention.

"Hmm?" he replied.

"I was thinking…," she started, but then paused.

He looked at her as she talked, waiting for her to complete her sentence.

"Are you…?" she continued. "Are you ready to get married? It's been a while since you asked, I mean, if you're not ready, then we can wait a while longer. I'm in no particular rush to…"

He stopped walking, faced her, and held up a finger to her lips. "I was ready the day I asked you to marry me. If you are ready, then so am I."

"I love you," she said.

They shared a kiss before continuing on their way.


	3. Chapter 3: Life Changes Imminent

So, I'm breaking my own rules already by adding this note (and its only chapter 3!) Something I usually state upfront that I didn't this time came back to bite me already. That is, I love writing and coming up with stories and such...if you don't like what you see, if you don't like my style or how I slightly bend the past to fit what I'm writing about THEN JUST DON'T READ IT. I could really care less that you don't like it and you on your high horse posting that you don't like it doesn't change a thing...it just makes you look petty and judgmental. There are others who do like it and read it. Move on and find a story that you do like, or better yet, go out and write your own. Constructive and positive comments are always welcome. I do read them all, and in the future, I will simply be ignoring those that provide no benefit.

CG

OlOlOlOlOlO

Sakura sat in her bathrobe at her kitchen table in her home at the Uchiha compound. The newspaper was on the table in front of her and she took a sip from her raised teacup.

"Good morning, Sakura," said Juugo, opening the door leading to the kitchen. Even though he lived in another part of the compound (pretty much right next door), it had become commonplace for him to visit Sakura and Sasuke's kitchen for breakfast and tea most mornings.

"Oh hi, Juugo," answered Sakura. "Big plans for the day?"

"No, not really. It's a normal workday," said Juugo.

"You may get paid for it, but I wouldn't call it work – not for you anyway," said Sakura, making small talk.

"Yeah, you're right," said Juugo, opening up the refrigerator to see what was in there.

"I made toast. Have some," said Sakura nodding towards a plate in the center of the table.

Juugo took a seat and took two slices. "Thanks. Isn't Sasuke up? I'm surprised you are sitting here alone."

"He was still sleeping when I got up. He got in really late though so it's understandable. They decided to come straight home from his latest mission instead of spending the night in the forest," said Sakura.

"And what about you...big plans for today?" asked Juugo.

"No, just work at the hospital," answered Sakura.

"Aren't you up a little early for that?" he asked.

"Wow, you know my normal schedule so well," she quipped. "I have to get to the hospital a little early this morning. I need to leave a little early for a fitting."

"So this is finally going to happen?" asked Juugo with a smile on his face. "It's about time."

"'Morning." Sasuke entered yawning, one arm stretching while the other scratched the back of his head. He also had a bathrobe on, but it was hastily tied and the two flaps were somewhat open exposing his boxers underneath.

"You look rough," said Juugo his friend and former teammate.

"Yesterday was a really long day," Sasuke said. "Not only did we spend half the day at full speed trying to get back here...we didn't stop for dinner, then ended up not getting in until 1am anyway."

"What was the hurry?" Juugo asked.

"Naruto was on the team," said Sasuke flatly.

Sakura smiled knowing exactly what Sasuke was referring to.

"I don't get it," said Juugo.

Sakura turned to her friend. "Ever since Naruto had his kids, let's just say he doesn't like to spend a lot of time outside of the Leaf. And if there is a chance to get back early, well, you better believe he'll be trying to take advantage of it."

"At least I get today off," said Sasuke. "It was the least he could do."

"He can do that?" asked Juugo.

"No, not really. But Tsunade won't question something like that. He'll report to her and tell her that he did give us the day off and she'll just accept it even if she wouldn't have done the same thing," explained Sasuke.

"She's trying to give him a bit more freedom as far as his leadership goes. It's part of the Hokage-training process," Sakura said.

"I see," acknowledged Juugo.

"I have to get dressed so I can get to work," said Sakura standing up from the table.

"I'll drop by for lunch," said Sasuke.

"Have a good day," said Juugo.

Sakura went back to her and Sasuke's bedroom and started to get ready. She loved her job at the hospital and was a bit scared at this next step she was taking, but she had already made up her mind that this wedding was going to happen one way or the other. Like Hinata had said, there is never going to be an absolutely perfect time to make this life-change. Besides, Sasuke had promised her that they would work together so that she could still continue working as a medical shinobi and as a member of Team 7 on their missions as much as possible.

Sakura stepped into the bedroom and the sight of the Uchiha symbol on the back of Sasuke's shirt tossed hastily aside caught her eye.

"He really needs to pick up after himself," she muttered as she went to pick it up. She ended up holding it up for just a split second as her mind caught on one particular thought.

_I can't believe I'm standing here in this place. _She briefly let her hand lightly brush the Uchiha symbol.

All that had happened since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War suddenly flashed before her. Everything had led to this exact moment: Sasuke deciding to support Naruto in his final battle with Tobi, Sasuke's decision to return to Konoha because of his brother Itachi and all he believed in, and Tsunade allowing him to as long as he was open to some restrictions and punishment as a result of his past actions. Even after all that, Sasuke had to win back the trust of the Leaf as well as the other hidden villages. He was even accused of murdering the last two existing elders - the ones who had been a part of Itachi's order to kill his clan and the ones who had ordered the kidnapping of the Koshosuru twins - and he was able to get past all that as well.

These days, Sasuke was a jounin-level shinobi who was back to being fully trusted with the most secret of information. Team 7 was again whole and still did missions together when all their talents were needed.

The Uchiha compound had been rebuilt and was ready to be filled with the first generation since the massacre.

Sasuke had made amends to everyone he had wronged in the past whether officially called for or not.

Now she and Sasuke were engaged (him having asked her to marry him during a rather intimate moment) and were living together moving forward with their lives. Who would have ever thought everything would come together like this?

Sakura giggled. If only her 10-year old self could see her now. She had liked him since at least then. She first laid eyes on him when she was four and just entering the academy, but the first time she remembered even thinking that he might be good boyfriend material was about the age of 10.

_It was probably puberty starting to kick in…._

OlOlOlOlOlO

For Sakura, it was a regular workday. Nothing special was planned – just the normal rounds, checking on the patients she was responsible for. As she was entering one of the rooms, she noted that Tsunade and Shizune were down the hall talking to some of the staff. Sakura quickly changed course to find out what was going on. It was very odd for them both to be here at the same time.

"Lady Tsunade, why are you here? It's odd that you are in the hospital with all the other work that you…" Sakura asked as she approached her mentor.

"I wanted to check on the status of the two injured shinobi who returned to Konoha last night," Tsunade answered.

"Two?" repeated Sakura. She obviously hadn't heard.

"Nothing for you to worry about, Sakura," said Tsunade. "We have it all under control."

"Oh…ok," she said. _Something's up_, she thought to herself. _Why are they being so stand-offish?_

Sakura went on her way and finished up her own rounds. She saw Tsunade enter one of the rooms presumably to talk to the injured shinobi. Within 15 minutes she was back in the hallway again. This time she was apparently alone, but nonetheless, she wasn't making any effort to leave.

"Lady Tsunade?" Sakura approached her again.

Tsunade just exhaled as if she had been caught doing something again. "I'm just visiting the shinobi who were injured last evening, Sakura."

"I know, M'Lady. You've already made that abundantly clear. So why are you still here?" asked Sakura.

Then, from the back of the nurse's station emerged Shizune. "Lady Tsunade, are you ready to go-?" She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Sakura standing there.

"You two are obviously hiding something," said Sakura. "Usually if you two know something, I'm in on it, too. Isn't that how we usually work?"

Shizune looked a little defeated by this time as well.

"I don't get it," said Sakura aloud noting the atmosphere.

"We were just going to get a bite to eat," said Shizune. "Care to join us?"

"Oh! Um, sure. Hold on a second," said Sakura as she rushed to do a few last minute things before she was able to head out for a bit.

The three comrades walked to a restaurant near the hospital, took their seats, and ordered their food.

Shizune gave Sakura a look.

"What?" she asked feeling a tad bit self-conscious.

"This is not yet public information," said Shizune. "The only reason I know about it is because of Kankuro. I made plans to meet with Lady Tsunade at the hospital after her visit, but your instincts are just too good, Sakura. I'd rather tell you as well rather than have you bug me or Lady Tsunade about it for the next few days."

Shizune and Kankuro had been dating long distance since the Hokage's dinner the night before Naruto's wedding to Hinata. Tsunade had hosted an event for the occasion and among those attending were the three Sand siblings. Shikamaru and Temari had already been dating, but the flirting that took place that night between Shizune and Kankuro was a sight to see. They had agreed to date ever since even though they both knew they had other obligations to their respective villages and being together for more than a week at a time on occasion would be very rare indeed. In fact, now that she thought about it, she would have tagged Shizune to give up everything and move to Sand to be with Kankuro way before she would have expected Shikamaru to do the same.

"What is it? Is everything alright?" asked Tsunade.

"The Kazekage's wife is….expecting," said Shizune.

"Gaara?" said Sakura aloud. She never would have considered him the type to marry let alone do what it took to actually make a baby.

"Good for him!" said Tsunade. "But that still doesn't explain why all the secrecy. Why is that news so important that you needed to tell me immediately...and privately?"

Shizune looked down for a moment.

"There's something else?" asked Tsunade.

Shizune started to speak, but her eyes were still averted. "I wanted to tell you as soon as I could in case I started wavering again. I-I'm thinking about…"

"You're moving to Sand, is that it?" blurted out Sakura not taking into account the serious turn the conversation seemed to have taken.

"Sakura!" Shizune yelled at her fellow disciple.

"Sorry," muttered Sakura.

Tsunade calmly picked up her tea and took a sip. "Is that it, Shizune?"

"Um, y-yes," Shizune answered.

"I don't know what you were expecting me to say, but I'm happy to hear it," said Tsunade.

"What?" both Shizune and Sakura said in unison looking at Tsunade with wide eyes.

"But…I would have thought you'd be upset if I left," said Shizune.

"I'll miss you and your company," said Tsunade. "But, I'm not a fool. You've followed me around all these years…even before we returned to the Leaf. It is about time you stopped doing things for me and thought of yourself. Go off, get married, have children…be happy."

"T-thank you, M'Lady!" said an obviously relieved Shizune. "E-excuse me for a moment." She got up and ran off.

"Where do you think she's going?" asked Sakura.

"To where we keep the messenger birds, I'd imagine," said Tsunade. "She's been acting weird for over a week now and I'm sure she'll want to tell Kankuro that it's over and she is free to go."

"Hm. I see," said Sakura, taking a bite of her lunch. "How did you know this was coming?"

"First I noticed she was acting funny. I wasn't sure what was going on, but figured she'd tell me eventually. But then, a few days ago, I caught her wearing a ring I had never seen before. It really looked like an engagement ring. I didn't get a chance to ask her about it and after that day, I never saw it again. I can only guess that perhaps she accidentally forgot to take it off before reporting to Hokage tower that one day," explained Tsunade.

"You are so observant, M'Lady," noted Sakura.

Tsunade took a sip of tea again. "I must say one thing about the situation though," she pondered.

"What's that?" Sakura asked.

"I'm happy Gaara already married a Sand shinobi. We can't afford to send many more of our best and brightest over there."

Sakura smiled at her mentor's comment. She knew it was true, even if it was said with an air of humor.

OlOlOlOlOlO

"Pregnant?" said Hinata to Sakura when they decided to walk to the nearby shopping district that evening. The twins were along for the ride as well.

"That's what Shizune said and with her direct connection to Kankuro, I'm sure it's not wrong," said Sakura.

"Speaking of Shizune and Kankuro…," started Hinata.

"Oh, they're getting married, too," added Sakura.

"Really?!" exclaimed Hinata.

"I found out earlier today," replied Sakura.

"How exactly is that going to work?" asked Hinata.

"How do you think?" answered Sakura. "She's leaving."

Hinata sighed. "Another one," she offered.

"Yes," said Sakura. "But what do you expect with such widespread peace in the world? Lots of chances to intermingle amongst the villages. I would expect a lot more shinobi will be leaving their homes to be with their loved ones eventually. It will probably be how it is from now on."

"You're right," said Hinata. "I've noticed it myself with a few new faces here and there around here. Usually it turns out they move here to be with someone they worked with from another village."

"It will just make the world more stable," said Sakura. "We'll be much less likely to be enemies if there are shinobi from all over the world living in all the villages together.

"Speaking of weddings," said Hinata. "How is yours coming along?"

"The usual," said Sakura. "It's a little difficult since we both don't want anything big…but we have so many people we should really invite."

"So it's a large-small wedding?" asked Hinata.

"Either that or a small-large wedding," joked Sakura back.

Just then Aiko started fussing in her stroller seat. She and Kiro were definitely getting older and could now be considered toddlers rather than babies. Hinata stopped, unbuckled her and lifted her up out of the seat.

"And pretty soon, you and many others are going to have little ones of your own," said Hinata. "Won't it be fun to have them all in the Academy at the same time?"


	4. Chapter 4: The Wedding

Sakura blinked her eyes a couple of times before she was finally able to keep them open for good. She lay there for a few seconds before coming to a sudden realization. _Where am I?_ she panicked. Then she remembered. She was at Ino's apartment.

Ino Yamanaka was one of Sakura's closest friends. They had always had an outwardly hostile relationship when they were younger, but as they grew older, they naturally got over their rivalry (most of it anyway) and matured.

"You're awake!" said a cheerful Ino after peering past the partially closed door and into the room where Sakura slept.

"Hm-hmmm," said Sakura raising both arms over her head and stretching.

"Did you sleep well?" Ino asked.

"Not as good as if I were in my own bed, but yeah, I slept pretty well," she admitted.

Sakura let her eyes wander over to the clock by the bedside. "Is that seriously what time it is?!" she fretted.

"No worries," said Ino. "It's not like you have to get ready to get ready or anything."

Sakura had to think about that last comment for a few seconds. Ino was right. Other than taking a shower and putting on a robe, what else was there for her to do? She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

"Hinata is already here and I'm sure Tenten will be here soon," said Ino. "Go get in the shower, then come to the kitchen for breakfast."

Sakura was still uncomfortable with so much attention being firmly placed upon her. She knew that she had certain obligations for varying reasons, why she had to actually have a wedding…yet she still wished for the smallest, most informal wedding possible. Ino, on the other hand was more than happy to prod her along.

Sakura did as she was instructed and by the time she reached Ino's tiny kitchen, Tenten had arrived.

Ino served Sakura a cup of tea while Hinata cut her a piece of danish.

"I can do that myself, you know," said Sakura with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Oh, sorry," said Hinata. "I'm just used to….sorry." Hinata was now used to serving toddlers who couldn't prepare or serve their own food. She caught herself at times behaving the same way towards others as she had just done now with Sakura.

"So what's first, Ino?" asked Tenten.

Ino looked at the clock on the stove. "I've broken it down into three basic steps: beauty, clothes, and flowers. Beauty will begin right about…"

Knock-knock! Someone was at the door. Ino left the kitchen to go get it. "Right this way," Sakura heard her say. "The living room is probably the best place."

Ino stuck her head into the doorway to the kitchen. "Are you just about ready, Sakura?"

"I'm -," but before she should finish her thought, Ino had grabbed her hand and she was back on her feet once again.

Sakura entered the living room to find four strangers standing there, smiling at her.

"Only the best for my best friend," said Ino.

Sakura saw a single chair behind the four strangers. "Please," one of them said as they opened up to display it to her. She took it as her cue to have a seat.

Immediately, one of the four reached into his pocket and pulled out a comb and a pair of scissors. Number two stood in front of her and used some sort of a wet pencil to dot her face. Three and four went after her hands and feet respectively.

"Please close your eyes….," said number two just as number one said, "Now don't move."

She was nervous at first. After all, she was not the type to be pampered, but a few minutes into it, she eased into the various activities happening around her. She followed whatever commands were given to her, all the while remaining as still as possible with her eyes closed.

One by one, the people around her seemed to back off until the only thing left was the sound of a blow dryer and a single hand fluffing her hair. When that finally stopped, she opened her eyes.

"Hold on!" shouted Ino, who rushed into her bedroom. She emerged holding a full-length mirror. "I keep this behind my door," she explained. "It comes in handy now and again."

She held it up for Sakura to now see what had been done. Stunned at first, a smile slowly emerged as the four strangers remained standing next to one another waiting with bated breath.

"I'm beautiful," she said.

"Like I said," said Ino. "Only the best."

The four beauty consultants that Ino had hired smiled and talked with her as Tenten and Hinata brought Sakura to Ino's bedroom where it had been stored temporarily. Although she had picked out the dress with her friends, and had been to several fittings, she had never seen herself in the final package.

It was a delicate operation to get Sakura's clothes off without messing up her hair; her make-up was the main concern when gingerly placing the white gown over her head. But in less than ten minutes, she was finally fully dressed.

Tenten and Hinata stood at either side of Sakura smirking.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"Close your eyes and lift up your feet one at a time," said Tenten.

"Huh?" Sakura questioned. She rolled her eyes deciding it was better to just go with the flow.

First one foot then the other, the shoes felt...different than she remembered. Opening her eyes once they were on her feet, she immediately peered down to see what was going on.

"Those ones you picked out just weren't you," said Tenten.

"...not to mention, they really didn't go with the dress," said Hinata.

"So we bought you these," they both said in virtual unison.

Not that there was anything wrong with the shoes she had picked out before, but Sakura had to agree that these shoes just seemed...sexier. Her old ones were more traditional with a closed toe and not much of a design on them. These were open-toed and were very strappy and much more modern.

"Thanks guys, but you didn't have to," said Sakura.

The doorbell then rang. "I'll get it!" shouted Ino who was apparently still in the living room.

Sakura heard the door open and some rustling. Then the door closed again_. I wonder..._

Sakura, now fully dressed in a floor length gown, made her way to the living room as best as she could. "Who was that?" asked Sakura as she walked.

"The flowers are here," Ino said as she held up Sakura's bouquet towards her so she could see.

Hinata gasped when she saw the crisp bouquet of mostly white and pink. Sakura had to admit, Ino had really outdone herself this time.

"I'll put this back in the box until we get to the park," said Ino.

"Thanks," said Sakura.

"It's getting a little late..." stated Tenten.

"I'm ready," said Hinata. "Are we missing anything?"

"No, I don't think so," replied Ino. "Sakura, are you ready?"

"I think so," she said. Then she took a really deep breath and let it out.

"Let's go," said Ino. "But be careful...we don't want anything to ruin the dress before we get there."

Carefully, the four girls maneuvered their way to the outside world taking care that Sakura's dress, shoes, flowers, hair, and make-up would stay as preserved as possible.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Just like the Hyuuga compound, the recently rebuilt Uchiha compound also had a courtyard. Right now, having been in existence for only a year or two, it's gardens and trees were still very young and new. When they were discussing where they should get married, Sasuke was skeptical at first about even considering the courtyard. It wasn't exactly his idea of grandeur. Sakura, on the other hand, thought it was the perfect venue for them. First of all, what could be any easier since they live there? Also, Sakura didn't want a big, fancy wedding and this was just the homey atmosphere she wanted. All she cared about was marrying the man she had loved all these years and celebrating that union with her closest friends and family.

Naruto met the girls near the front door. "How is everything going?" he asked Hinata.

"Fine," she replied. "Is everything set here?"

"Yeah," he replied. "You can come in...he's already outside."

"Thanks, Naruto," said Sakura, entering her own front door.

"Sakura!" said her mother holding her arms out to hug her only daughter. Her father stood there next to her mother looking proud and happy.

"Hi Mom," she answered.

"Are you excited?" asked her Dad.

"Um, yeah, I think so," she replied. "I'm more content than anything else. But I'm happy, too."

"That's good to hear," said her father. "You've been so happy since Sasuke came back into your life. I've no doubt about this step you are about to take."

"Congratulations," her mother said, hugging her again.

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Naruto walked out to stand next to Sasuke once again who was seemingly getting a little frustrated at the amount of time it was taking to get things going. He was never a patient man.

"Settle down, Teme," said Naruto. "She's here. I'm sure she is just saying hello to her folks and a few friends."

"Hmph," grunted Sasuke.

A few more minutes went by and Naruto with the other guys who were standing up for Sasuke trying to keep him preoccupied. Finally, music from a harp started to play.

"It's time," whispered Naruto to his best friend.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He, too, was not a huge fan of formality.

First, Hinata appeared and led the procession of ladies down the path towards the men. Tenten followed. Finally, Ino started walking as well.

_She's next_, Sasuke thought to himself. There were butterflies in the pit of his stomach. He felt a small pang of anticipation, something he had not expected at all. Now, for some reason, he couldn't wait to see his bride.

And there she was, on the arm of her father, her head angled slightly downward with a gentle smile across her face. By the time she rounded the corner to turn towards Sasuke, she was beaming with an expression of what could only be described as joy.

A small tear formed in the corner of Sasuke's eye. He lifted it away with his index finger, still utterly surprised his emotions were getting the better of him - he who was normally so serious and stoic. This was the woman who he loved, the one he wanted to make a life with and have a family with. She was the one and today he was marrying her.

When she reached the front of the crowd, her father gently kissed her on the cheek and walked back to sit with her mother. Now it was just Sakura and Sasuke. There seemed to be no one else but the two of them. He leaned in and they shared a sweet kiss.

The officiant cleared his throat. "A little premature perhaps...," he said aloud. Both Sakura and Sasuke took a step back and turned to face the man who would be performing the ceremony. Sasuke sighed and Sakura said "sorry" under her breath though she still looked as if she couldn't help but smile.

The ceremony was not very long. Since neither one of them was very religious, they opted for more of a civil kind of ceremony. Tsunade did stand up and say a few words about Sakura and Sasuke independently, then together as a couple. She had been greatly involved with Sakura ever since she was a genin and had played a major role in Sasuke's life the year or two after he returned to Konoha.

Both Naruto and Kakashi also were asked to share a story or two about their fellow teammates, how they persevered through the tough times, and how they had grown together through the years. It brought back some bittersweet, but mostly happy memories to the couple who listened intently.

"It is my honor to now pronounce you, husband and wife," said the officiant to conclude the ceremony. "You may now seal your love with a kiss."

They smiled. Sakura wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck and held him tightly as they shared their first kiss as husband and wife. The guests cheered and quickly moved to surround the couple. Sakura noted they had something in their hands.

Ino caught Sakura's eyes and she held up a basket. She then winked. Sakura nodded then turned back to Sasuke.

The camera clicked as the perfect scene unfolded - the bride kissing the groom amongst a sea of white rose petals floating through the air. They were finally married.


	5. Chapter 5: That Didn't Take Long

"Did you hear? Shikamaru is back in town," said Naruto to Sasuke after finishing a training session they had set-up together. With all of Naruto's new responsibilities as the presumed next Hokage, it wasn't like the old days when he and the others from Team 7 would have plenty of time to spar and train together.

Sasuke wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt as he went to gather his things so he could leave. "No, I hadn't heard..but it doesn't surprise me at all that you knew. You know everything that happens around here these days."

"Heh, heh," Naruto laughed. "Yeah, I know. I guess being around Hokage tower all the time has its perks. Though I'm definitely jealous of you."

"Jealous? What for?" asked Sasuke.

"If I'm not careful, I'm bound to get thick around the middle. I don't get a chance to go on nearly as many missions as everyone else these days...and I never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss training as much as we used to."

"Well, if you ever need a sparring partner, just let me know. We're still teammates after all," said Sasuke.

"Thanks," answered Naruto.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Naruto opened the door to the Uzumaki-Hyuuga family home. "I'm home!" he shouted.

"Welcome home," answered Hinata from the living room where she was curled up reading a book. "How was training with Sasuke?"

"I really enjoyed it," said Naruto. "It felt good to get out there and stretch the mind and body for a while."

"I ran into Tenten earlier today. She said that Shikamaru was back in town for a few days on a mission from Suna. Have you heard anything?" asked Hinata.

"I heard that he was back in town, but not what the mission was or anything," said Naruto.

"We should get together while he's here," said Hinata.

"Yeah, we should," he agreed. He thought for a few seconds. "Hold on, I'll send a message over to the Nara compound. I'm sure that's where he's staying."

Naruto left the room for a few minutes and then came back.

"I invited a bunch of the others as well," said Naruto.

"Kiba and Shino are off on missions," noted Hinata. "I'm sure they won't be coming."

"Oh. Sai, Chouji, Lee, and Ino are out of the village as well," said Naruto. "They just left for Mist this morning."

"Oh well," said Hinata. "It'll just be a smaller group then. That's ok. I'm sure Shikamaru will be back again soon. It's just a shame there won't be more of us."

OlOlOlOlOlO

Naruto, Hinata and the twins were the first to arrive at the barbeque restaurant he had suggested in his message sent earlier that day. Sakura and Sasuke weren't too far behind. Greetings were exchanged between the four.

"It's really a shame Chouji isn't around for this...he really loves this place," noted Naruto when he started perusing the menu prior to the others arriving.

"Hey you guys," said Shikamaru as he walked towards the section of the restaurant where the others sat.

"Shikamaru!" shouted Naruto jumping up. "It's been a while," he stated before grasping his hand and shaking it like a mature adult.

"Naruto, you surprise me," said Shikamaru noting the handshake. Shika noted that the preparations that Naruto was undergoing to prepare him for leadership must be having a positive effect whether it be conscious or subconscious. "Wow, are these really your kids?"

Hinata beamed. "Yes, can you believe how big they are getting?"

Shikamaru took a seat. "How old are they now?"

"Two and a half," said Hinata.

Just then,Tenten and Neji turned a corner in the restaurant and came into view.

"Over here!" Sakura waved. They headed for them.

"Two and a half already?!" noted Shikamaru. "Only a few more years until the academy then."

"Naruto can hardly contain himself about that," said Hinata. "He's so excited for them to follow in our footsteps...they could still get Iruka-sensei as their head instructor, too. He's still there."

Tenten and Neji took a seat and picked up menus themselves. After a few minutes and from what they already knew, no one else was going to be able to make this get-together. A server meandered over to the table to take the order.

Each of the seven friends ordered the food they wanted. It would be delivered raw and then cooked right there and then at the table. Hinata had brought her own food for the twins. They ate normal food these days, but weren't exactly up for barbeque quite yet. Perhaps she would let them have a taste.

"And what about drinks?" asked the server.

Naruto eyed everyone at the table. "Is sake alright tonight? Anyone want anything else?" he asked.

"Um, I'll have to pass," said Sakura. "Just water for me."

"Me, too," said Tenten who had turned a little pink in the face. "I'll have water, too."

"Great! Sake for the table along with two glasses of water," said the server. "I'll be right back with that."

Naruto gave Sakura a strange look. "You of all people, the protégé of the Hokage, drinking water?"

Sasuke just closed his eyes and told himself to be patient. "Shut up, Dobe," he said just barely audible.

"Uh, Naruto? Would you mind just drop...," she started.

"Yeah, I remember that time just after the war ended and when Sasuke had just come back...we all went out for a little celebration and wouldn't you know it? She drank us all under the table. You sure do love your sake, Sakura."

_WHOMP!_ She hit him over the head. "Think, will you Naruto?" she yelled at him.

"Wha?" he questioned, not having a clue what he did wrong. He sat there bewildered for just a few seconds.

"Naruto, do you remember just a few years ago I wasn't allowed to drink sake?" asked Hinata, trying to help the situation.

"But you were preg...," he started. His eyes went wide and he looked at his two teammates. "Seriously?!"

Sasuke let just the hint of a grin come across his face even as he was still trying to be patient. Sakura beamed and nodded.

"We weren't quite ready to tell everyone yet," she added. "But under the circumstances, well, yes, I'm pregnant. Only two months though."

"Congratulations you two! Congratulations!" were said all around the table.

OlOlOlOlOlO

The next morning, Sakura was scheduled to work a shift at the hospital. Apart from her usual emergency work, she had two appointments scheduled back-to-back in the morning. One was the Uzumaki twins, and the other was...well, she couldn't quite make out the scribbled name on the appointment book.

_Who took this appointment?_ she wondered. _I can't make it out at all. Ah well, as long as they show up on time, I'll just wait to see who it is then. _

Hinata, Kiro and Aiko arrived on time for their check-up. Sakura checked them over thoroughly and determined there wasn't a thing wrong with them. They were strong, healthy children growing just as planned.

Sakura knew, however, that although the usual check-up was important, that wasn't why she got to see them so often. She pulled out a small pen light and shone them into Kiro's eyes. She examined one eye, then the other.

"Hmmm...," was all she muttered.

She put the pen light down and placed both of her hands on his temples, one on each side of his head. A green glow could be seen as she closed her eyes to concentrate on what she was doing.

Once Kiro was finished, she moved on and repeated the same tasks with Aiko.

"Is anything different?" asked Hinata.

"We just might see something today," said Sakura. "From Kiro, that is. Aiko's pathways still aren't clear. It may look like a byakugan, but right now they still won't function like one."

"I see," said Hinata. "But you said there might be a chance with Kiro?"

"That's right," answered Sakura. "Have you been instructing him so we can test him?" asked Sakura.

"Yes," said Hinata. "He should have a good idea on how to activate it, if he can. It's really hard to describe a feeling like activating byakugan to a two year old, though. Hopefully I did well enough..."

"I'm sure you did just fine," said Sakura. She turned her attention to Kiro.

"Kiro, will you step over here for a moment?" Sakura asked.

He, of course, did as he was asked. Sakura positioned him so that he could look out of the window to a forested training area.

"Kiro, you don't see any shinobi in that forest, correct?" asked Sakura.

"Too far," he replied and shook his head.

"Do you remember what your Mom said about your byakugan?" asked Sakura. "Can you try to turn it on for me? Keep looking at that same place out there."

Kiro struggled and squinted for a bit and nothing seemed to be happening.

"Keep concentrating on that forest," said Sakura, trying to help. Hinata had told her once that a point of focus makes it easeier, especially for beginners.

Hinata saw his struggling and kneeled down next to him. "Sometimes by saying the word, it helps you focus on what you are doing. Do what I showed you before...just this time say 'byakugan'."

Kiro listened to his mother and turned to face the forest. He looked in one spot and... "Byakugan!" he shouted in his immature child's voice.

"Whooaaa...," he sounded amazed.

"I think we have something," said Sakura. "How many shinobi? Can you count them now?"

"Seven...I think," he answered. "They're really shiny."

It wasn't important how many he saw, but the fact that he saw any so that he could count them was the main point.

"Hinata, your son has a functioning byakugan," said Sakura.

Hinata smiled from ear-to-ear. At least now they knew that someone with only half Hyuuga blood could still activate a byakugan.

_Knock-knock!_

"Yes?" asked Sakura as she turned to the door.

An administrator briefly stuck her head in, "Your next appointment is here and waiting."

"Thank you," said Sakura.

"Oh, Sakura, I'm so sorry this took longer than planned," said Hinata.

"It's no problem," said Sakura. After all, she didn't even know who would have even booked another appointment with her that day.

Hinata grabbed Kiro by the hand and picked up Aiko in her arms while Sakura opened the door to walk them out.

"Just give Aiko more time," said Sakura. "This is new territory we are working in...medically, I mean...so..."

Hinata was the first to notice and her attention veered somewhere else. "Hi Tenten," she said passing by the kunoichi who was sitting in a nearby chair.

Sakura stopped talking immediately. "Are you my next appointment?" she asked.

Tenten turned a little pink. "I am," she replied.

That's when Hinata put two and two together. She smiled. "I'll catch you later, Sakura. Bye, Tenten."

"Ok, bye," Sakura replied. She turned to her next appointment and motioned for her to come into the room next to where she and Hinata had just been. She closed the door.

"What seems to be trouble?" asked Sakura. "Does this have anything to do with why you didn't have sake last night?"

Tenten smiled. "Right on the money, as usual."

"Take a seat on the table and lie down. Pull your shirt up so I can see your belly," said Sakura. Tenten did as she was asked.

Sakura placed her hands above Tenten's bare abdomen. She allowed her chakra to penetrate Tenten's body. She examined the various areas inside of her...intestines, bladder, uterus and...there it is. "Confirmed," said Sakura aloud. "It's very small, but you are definitely pregnant. I'm impressed you could feel a change to your body this miniscule."

"Neji found it first," she said. "I'm embarrassed to say that, but I guess that's what I get being married to a guy who can see my entire chakra network just by looking at it. He saw an anomaly in the right spot and asked me to come here to confirm it."

"I see," said Sakura. "Well, he was correct. Congratulations!"

"Thanks," answered Tenten.

"I guess we're going to have our first babies around the same time," said Sakura.

"They might even be classmates at the academy," said Tenten.

"...or put on the same team!" said Sakura. She realized it was pushing it a bit too far with all this conjecture, but they were both excited for what was to come.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Naruto walked through the door and noted the smell of fresh cooking in the air. Hinata was probably making dinner. He made his way to the kitchen after taking off his shoes.

"Nooo!" shouted Aiko. The twins were also in the kitchen. She had her hands around a small pink blanket.

"Me!" shouted Kiro back at Aiko, indicating he wanted what she was tugging at, namely the pink blanket.

"Now, now, kids," said Naruto. He quickly snatched both kids up, one in each arm. "What have I told you about fighting?"

"But -," started Aiko.

"No 'buts'," Naruto replied. "I don't know who did what and it is not for me to say. Aiko, I've told you not to be so possessive about things. Kiro, if she was using it, don't steal it from her. Now you two go work it out." He placed them back on the floor and they scurried off out of the room.

"Nice one," said Hinata. She rather enjoyed Naruto's parenting style. He didn't often dictate how things should work, but set the scenario where the kids had to think about the situation and decide for themselves how to make something work. For the most part, Kiro and Aiko had made exactly the right choices.

Naruto kissed Hinata's cheek and hugged her from behind as she stood in front of the stew that was cooking on the stove.

"How did the visit with Sakura go? Any progress?" Naruto asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs near the kitchen table.

"I didn't want to interrupt you earlier since you had important visitors today, but Kiro finally activated his byakugan today," said Hinata.

"Why didn't you send me a message?" he asked. "That's a pretty big deal!"

"I figured it could wait a few hours until you got home," said Hinata.

"But nothing on Aiko?" Naruto asked.

Hinata shook her head. "It's still possible though...we just have to keep waiting."

"Byakugan!" shouted Kiro from the next room.

"What on earth...?" asked Naruto.

"Watch the pot for a moment, I think Kiro and I need to have a little discussion about the byakugan and what it means to overuse it and waste chakra," said Hinata.

Hinata rushed off to the next room and Naruto just smiled.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Naruto woke to a strange sound the next morning. He looked at the other half of the bed. It was empty. He knew that sound...

Quickly he popped up out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Yes, indeed, Hinata was on the floor with her head in the toilet bowl. Naruto grabbed her hair and held it for her. A few more heaves and she was done.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yes, I think so," she confirmed.

"You haven't done that since..."

Then both of their eyes went wide. They were thinking the same thing.

"I think you might need another visit with Sakura today," noted Naruto.


	6. Chapter 6: A Trip to Suna

So have you guys gotten the hang of the time skip thing yet? Don't forget, each chapter is another snippet in their lives...to be more exact, it is a snippet of an important event in someone's life. Chapters are generally not back-to-back in terms of happening at the same time! CG

OlOlOlOlOlO

"I still don't see the reason we all couldn't go together," said Hinata to Naruto as they walked along the path between Suna and Konoha. Given Hinata's "condition", they were taking their time getting to the village hidden in the sand.

"Even though there has been peace for years, there are still missing nins out here that want to do harm to us," said Naruto. He was getting better at looking at the "big picture" when making decisions these days. "And with all of you expecting at about the same time, well..." He didn't even bother to finish that last statement...it was obvious what he was trying to say.

"I get it," said Hinata.

"Even Shikamaru sent a messenger bird just to make sure we had made plans to split the three of you up. Something about protecting the next king or something...half the time I don't have a clue what he's talking about, but I think I got the jist of what he was trying to say," said Naruto.

"It just would have been nice to have one of them here to talk with," noted Hinata. Now that she was adult, she liked the idea of having close female confidants to talk with and not always the brusque male shinobi who so outnumbred them in just about anything they did.

"I don't know what to tell you," said Naruto. "The timing was bad? There are only four of you who are really close friends and I'm sorry Ino decided to go with Sakura this time around."

Hinata sighed and looked at the pair who was walking in front of them. "At least Kiba and Daikishi decided to come with us." Kiba had married a fellow member of the Inuzuka clan not long ago and she had decided to join him to celebrate this happy occasion. Not being a shinobi, she had never had the opportunity to travel far outside of the borders of Konoha.

OlOlOlOlOlO

_Meanwhile...in Suna..._

"It was nice of Suna to give us these accommodations," noted Sakura. She and Sasuke had arrived earlier that morning along with Ino, Chouji, Shino and his new wife, Konshu.

"Considering why we're here, it kind of makes sense, doesn't it?" said Sasuke flatly.

"I don't know," said Sakura taking a dress from the pack she had carried and hanging it up in the closet. "I mean, we were invited...they didn't _have_ to do anything other than that."

"Just be happy I even said it was ok for us to come to this," said Sasuke. He walked over to Sakura who was still unpacking the few things she had stashed away in her pack. He stood behind her and hugged her to him. Gently, he placed his right hand over her now-protruding bump.

Sakura smiled and placed her hand over his. "I know you are protective, but it's not like I'm about to give birth or anything," said Sakura. "I'm technically not even into my third trimester yet."

"I've seen some of the worst scum of the earth in my travels," said Sasuke. "If you ever got hurt just because of an unnecessary trip, I would not be able to forgive myself."

Sakura turned to face her husband and placed a hand upon the side of his face. She gently went onto her tip toes so she could reach his lips...and gave him a peck. "You mean well, I know. But I could trip in my own bathtub and do some serious damage as well. I'm not going to stop living or doing what I want because I'm afraid of every bad thing that could happen in this world."

Sasuke knew that Sakura could handle herself. He also knew the chances of anything bad happening were very slim. Not only was there peace in the world, but Suna and Konoha were the tightest of allies and the likelihood that an attack would happen here was near zero. Not to mention that due to the occasion, the number of incredibly strong shinobi - some of the strongest ind re was near zero. Not to mention that due to the occasion, the number of incredibly strong shinobi - sn the entire world - were going to be in the near vicinity for the next day or two.

"I'm hungry, Sasuke," said Sakura.

His mind had wandered as he thought. He focused and noted that Sakura was now done unpacking. "Where do you want to go?"

"There's a small bakery not far from here," said Sakura. She had been to Suna enough to know where her favorite shops and restaurants were.

"Ok, let's go," agreed Sasuke. "We've got some time."

OlOlOlOlOlO

"Hold up, Sasuke," said Sakura as they walked towards the bakery Sakura had in mind.

"What?" asked Sasuke.

"There's Tenten and Neji in that shop over there," she said at the same time grabbing his hand and starting to walk over to the familiar faces.

"Tenten!" she shouted, waving her arm in the air to get her attention.

Tenten's gaze moved from Neji to the voice that was now calling her.

"Hi Sakura," Tenten greeted her friend. "When did you get here?"

"This morning," Sakura answered. "You were first, then me, and Hinata should be getting here pretty soon. That was the plan."

"Yeah, it was kind of crazy how they sent us in waves, wasn't it?" asked Tenten. "Though I kind of understand it. Better to be safe than sorry and all that."

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal. As long as Sasuke was with me, I just did what they told me to do," Sakura answered. "It's wasn't worth arguing over."

Neji and Sasuke simply stood there listening to the two ladies catch up with one another.

"You wouldn't think that they are both from the same village the way they are talking," said Neji sarcastically under his breath so that only Sasuke could hear him.

"Or that they just saw each other two days ago," added Sasuke.

"Hey, let's get out of here," said Neji.

"Where to?" asked Sasuke.

"Shika's place," said Neji. "I know where he and Temari live."

After making some polite excuses, both Sasuke and Neji left the two kunoichi and headed not too far away to a building near where the Kazekage housed his offices. Just as Neji brought his hand to the door to knock, the door flung open. Neji caught himself, but looked stunned nonetheless. Out stepped Shikamaru who quickly closed the door behind him.

"Oh hey, guys," he greeted his friends. "I see you made it safely from the Leaf village."

"Yeah," said Neji. Sasuke nodded.

"Come with me," he said and grabbed both of their forearms and yanked them away from his apartment with no explanation.

"Uh, is everything alright?" asked Sasuke to the man basically dragging him along.

"It will be," he replied. "I just...come get a quick drink with me. My nerves are just frazzled right now and I can barely think."

"You, not be able to think?" questioned Neji.

"Oh, it's a whole new ballgame around here," said Shikamaru. "Something I've never had to deal with before. The Kazekage is dragging from that new baby of his and his wife who is exhausted as well. Tonight is the Kankuro's wedding to Shizune, and now Temari decides to start harassing me about kids again! It's problem after problem around here."

"Sorry to hear that," said Neji, still being dragged along but now just going with the flow.

It didn't take long before Shikamaru stopped at what looked to be a local watering hole. "This is where I go when I need a bit of time to myself," he explained. "Let's go in."

They took a seat at one of the tables. It was nearly deserted which made sense since it was now mid-afternoon and the lunch crowd had dissipated.

"Are you going to be ok?" asked Neji.

"I'm fine," said Shika. "It's just a drag sometimes. I'm better when she's on my side, but when she starts asking about kids, it all goes downhill from there."

"You're not giving in?" asked Neji. Someone came over to get their order.

"No, I'm still not comfortable with the whole idea," he replied. "Even though I work as a top-level advisor for Suna, it still doesn't feel right. I'm still a Konoha shinobi and I've just got this feeling in my gut that me being here isn't going to be forever. I don't want to have a kid, even with her, and then raise it wrong. I want to be content and happy with where we are in our relationship and our future before taking such a big step."

"I can't say I blame you," said Sasuke. "It's has definitely been a little...different. I'm over-protective and all I can think about is what could possibly happen to both of them. I can't imagine what it would be like not being in synch with the one you love."

"Same here," said Neji. "Though as hormonal as she has been, I must say Tenten makes a beautiful pregnant kunoichi."

"You're still head over heels," said Shikamaru. "Good to see it, Nej."

"So how's the new baby in the family," asked Sasuke.

"Adorable," said Shikamaru flatly. "But what else would you expect from those two."

He took a swig of the drink that had been delivered to the table.

"What's her name again?" asked Neji.

"Karura...after his mother," he noted. "And she has his hair. She stands out, that's for sure. I'm sure she'll make an appearance this evening as well. It's her uncle getting married after all."

OlOlOlOlOlO

The wedding went off with only a small hitch. It turned out that Matsuri couldn't make the wedding after all...apparently Karura was sick and Gaara thought it best they stay home. Other than that, everyone was happy, safe, and wished the new husband and wife all the best. As had been planned, Shizune would now be moving to Suna, just as Shikamaru had done before, to be with her new spouse, a sibling of the Kazekage.

When Gaara was giving the toast to the bride and groom he relayed the story from back at the formal dinner the evening before Naruto's wedding and how Kankuro just couldn't keep his eyes off of Shizune. There had been some questions relative to her age (she was a few years older than he was), but they quickly filed that problem under the "we don't really care" category and quickly moved forward. Gaara summed up his speech by welcoming Shizune to Suna as the wife of his brother, a close ally, and hoped that she would see fit as to become an advisor to him just as Shikamaru had.

Applause could be heard throughout the room. The guests were mostly from Suna or Konoha and definitely appreciated the warm welcome that was being offered to Shizune by the most powerful shinobi in Suna, the Kazekage.

By the time the speech was done, the formal part of the evening was just about over. Shizune and Kankuro, both looking beyond joyful, were ready to leave the festivities and embark on their honeymoon.

As soon as the bride and groom had left, the crowd dissipated little by little until there were just a handful of people left. The three pregnant shinobi had called it a night even before the bride and groom had left, but their spouses - Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji - had decided to stay to the very end. Shikamaru was still there. So were Shino, Kiba and Chouji.

"So what now?" asked Sasuke.

"I'm not ready to go back yet," said Naruto.

"There's always that place we went to earlier," noted Shikamaru.

"What place?" asked Naruto.

"You weren't here earlier, Dobe," said Sasuke.

"Yeah, let's all go there," said Chouji.

As with any large group over a couple of people, the group of friends kept talking and milling about even after the decision to go had been made.

"Are you guys ready?" Naruto finally asked the group. It was meant as a rhetorical question just to get them moving out the door.

They walked out of the hall and towards the same place Shika had frequented. Sasuke looked over and saw that Gaara was also just leaving. Sasuke was about to call out to him, but then noticed he was talking to someone who looked very much like Matsuri. Looking closer, there was no question it was her when she turned and a small tuft of bright red hair could be seen coming out of a bundle she held in her arms.

Sasuke could only wonder why she had shown up after it was all over, not that it was his business or anything. Perhaps the baby was feeling better and she just wanted to walk him home.

Sasuke shrugged. He probably wouldn't ever know. One thing was true though as he silently turned off his sharingan. _Shika was right...she is definitely adorable. And soon, I'll... _Realization had started to set in.


	7. Chapter 7: At the Same Time

"Tenten, we're leaving!" shouted Neji from the front door of his and Tenten's house located within the Hyuuga family compound.

Tenten didn't respond at first. Then Neji heard a baby's cry coming from the other room.

"Tenten, is everything alright?" shouted Neji. When he received no reply again, he turned to the two children who were with him. "Can you two wait here for a minute while I check on Tenten?"

"Sure!" answered Aiko.

"Uncle Neji?" asked Kiro. "Is everything ok with Emi?" Although he was not really their uncle, that is what the twins called him because of the closeness of their two families.

Neji looked down at the children currently in his charge and smiled. "She's just fine. Emi was just born not too long ago so she requires a lot of attention. Since she can't talk like we can, this is how she tells us something is wrong." He walked away from the twins and towards the back rooms of their house to check on his wife. Not more than a minute later, Tenten appeared holding baby Emiko Hyuuga in her arms. Neji followed closely behind.

"Is she really alright?" asked Aiko.

"She's fine. She only needed to be changed," said Tenten.

"Again?" asked Neji. "But I just changed her."

"It's not like she plans when she is going to fill her diaper, Neji. She just does," explained Tenten who was inwardly laughing at her husband. Neji Hyuuga was phenomenally logical and serious about everything. When Emi was born and their world got a bit more chaotic, he still struggled accepting how things seemed to work now, most of which did not follow logic at all.

"Are we ready now?" asked Neji.

"Hn!" said Kiro with a nod and led the way.

They walked through the streets of Konoha towards their intended destination. When it was finally in sight, Kiro and Aiko took off running.

"Hold up, kids!" shouted Tenten after them.

"It's alright," said Neji. "It's not like they can get past the front desk without an adult anyway."

Neji, Tenten and Emi made it to the front door and entered the lobby of Konoha hospital. Inside, both Kiro and Aiko stood there looking a little lost. When they saw Neji and Tenten come inside after them, they ran up to them.

"Where are Mommy and Daddy?" asked Aiko.

"We need to ask that nice lady over there," answered Tenten who then corralled the children over to an information desk.

"Where are my Mommy and Daddy?" asked Aiko once again, this time to the hospital worker.

"My how you two have grown," noted the lady behind the desk. "Only yesterday you were born here yourself!" She reached to pick up a bowl from the desk and held it down for the kids to look into it. Inside were small pieces of candy and she allowed each of them to take a piece.

Next she opened a large book and ran her finger down the page. "Here it is," she said aloud to herself. She looked up at both Neji and Tenten and informed them, "Hinata Hyuuga is on the 2nd floor, in the maternity ward, room 215. The baby was born this morning so she should be resting right now. Just knock lightly before you enter."

"Thank you," said Tenten before turning to head towards the nearest set of stairs.

As they walked, Neji explained, "Kiro, Aiko, your Mommy had another baby this morning…"

"...so her belly isn't big anymore?" asked Aiko.

"It's probably still pretty big, but the baby no longer lives in her belly," explained Tenten.

"Ooohhh," said Aiko, not really understanding any of it.

"She is probably very tired and sore," continued Neji. "We will need to be very quiet and gentle with your Mommy, ok?"

Both twins nodded.

They found the room with no difficulty. The door was open so they could see Hinata's feet on the bed and Naruto sitting in a chair near the end of the bed. To get their attention, Neji knocked on the doorframe very lightly.

Naruto's head snapped to the side when he heard the noise. He smiled. "Oh hey Neji," he greeted.

"Daddy!" shouted Kiro as he spotted his father and ran towards him. Naruto had been by Hinata's beside for about two days now so the twins had not seen him for a bit. That being said, missions lasting more than two days weren't unheard of, but they did miss him each and every time he was gone. And this time, not only was Naruto gone, but their Mom was not there with them either which made it just a bit harder.

"Hugs?" he said aloud and both kids jumped into his arms.

"Hi Hinata," Tenten finally greeted her friend. "How did it go?"

"A bit easier than last time," Hinata admitted. "Not only was it my 2nd time, but I only had one baby to deliver this time around."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be easier," Tenten joked. "I've only had one and I can't imagine carrying and giving birth to two at the same time."

Neji stood off to one side a little uncomfortable with the situation. He, as ever, was very formal and serious. The socialization aspect of having close friends was still not his forte.

All heads turned once again when another light knock was heard on the doorframe.

"Lady Tsunade?" questioned Neji when he saw who it was. "Uh, to what do we owe the honor?"

"I'm just checking in on Hinata here," she said casually enough. "Are you feeling alright, Hinata?"

"Y-yes, thank you very much for your concern," answered Hinata.

"You guys should have seen her," started Naruto. "Granny did a great job all last night delivering Hokori."

Eyes turned once again to the Hokage. "But why - ?" started Tenten.

"I had originally expected Sakura to be the one delivering the baby," explained Hinata. "After all, she is the medical shinobi I chose to visit during my pregnancy. Unfortunately, she was unable to come for the birth."

"Unable to come?" repeated Neji. Then it dawned on him and his mouth gaped open.

"You're not saying that she's….," started Tenten.

"You got it!" interrupted Tsunade. "If her baby is born today, then the two of them will share a birthday!"

"What were the chances, right?" asked Naruto rhetorically.

Yet another light tapping on the doorframe was heard. All eyes turned to see who it was.

"Ah, here he is," said Tsunade. In walked a nurse with a baby on a cart.

"It's feeding time," said the newcomer.

"Oh, we should leave then…," started Tenten.

"It's alright," said Hinata. "I'm used to it by now. It's not a big deal if you want to stay."

The nurse picked up the baby and held it for Hinata to take from her. It took only a quick adjustment of her loose gown and the baby latched on almost immediately and began to drink.

"Wow," said Tenten. "That's was quick."

"I've had lots of experience," said Hinata. "You'll get used to it soon enough."

The nurse walked back out of the room and the Hokage turned to leave as well. "I'd better go back and check on Sakura," said Tsunade. "It's a good thing she prepared me for this well ahead of time…not that I was expecting both of you to go on the same day."

"Give her our best when you see her," said Hinata.

"Yes, please do," added Tenten.

Tsunade nodded and walked out of the room.

"So how are you two doing?" Naruto asked of his kids.

"Miss you and Mommy," said Kiro. "When are you coming home?"

"Tomorrow…probably," Naruto answered. "And we'll be bringing Hokori with us. He's a part of our family now."

"Can he play with me?" asked Kiro.

Naruto laughed. "He's a little too small now. He's even younger than Emi and you've seen how much care and attention she needs."

"I'll help!" shouted Aiko.

"I'm counting on you," said Hinata to her daughter.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Tsunade entered the birthing room down the hall to a near silent atmosphere. Sasuke was sitting in a chair next to Sakura's bedside, holding the one hand she held out for him. Sakura was still and had her eyes closed – an ordinary onlooker would have thought she was just sleeping. Sasuke had his head down and was seemingly concentrating on something when the Hokage entered. When he heard her enter, his head popped up and he nodded politely to her.

"How is she doing?" asked Tsunade quietly.

"The same," whispered Sasuke back.

"I've never seen anyone as calm and in control as she has been. That perfect chakra control and her medial ninjutsu abilities are definitely making this much easier than most women have it," noted Tsunade.

Just then, Sakura exhaled and opened her eyes. She noted the Hokage was back in the room. "How is Hinata?" was the first thing she asked.

"In much better shape than when she delivered," said Tsunade. "She's all cleaned up and the baby was feeding when I just left her. Neji and Tenten brought the twins to visit and meet the baby, too."

"Does the baby have a name yet?" asked Sakura.

"Hokori Uzumaki," answered Tsunade.

"That's lovely," said Sakura. "I believe it means 'to be proud of' or something to that extent. M"Lady, thank you again – not only for helping me through this, but taking care of Hinata as well. I'm just sorry I couldn't be there for her."

"I think she'll forgive you," said Tsunade. "And you're welcome. Not that I'm doing much here – you've got this completely under control with all the training you've had." She pulled up a small bench and placed her arm between Sakura's legs. Sakura knew this meant that her progress needed to be checked.

Sakura winced a bit as Tsunade checked her.

"Well?" asked Sasuke.

"Do you feel the need to push yet?" asked Tsunade. "Your contractions should be quite frequent at this point and if you aren't already feeling the urge to push, you will very soon."

Sakura gasped for a quick second and squinched her eyes. A contraction had hit unexpectedly …apparently, she had spent a bit too much time talking and not concentrating. She squeezed Sasuke's hand to the extent that he called out in pain.

"No urge yet," she said once the pain level had gotten back to tolerable again. "But I will begin pushing when the urge hits as long as you think I'm ready."

"You are good to go," noted Tsunade.

"Sorry, but I'm going to start meditating again," said Sakura. "It's much more…tolerable when I'm focused."

"I don't blame you one bit," said Tsunade.

Sakura made herself comfortable and closed her eyes once again.

"You should consider yourself lucky," Tsunade said to Sasuke. "You have no idea how hellish this can be for both the woman and the man without abilities such as hers."

OlOlOlOlOlO

Hokori sat off to Hinata's side in a small bassinet as his mother dozed, covered in the warmth of the last rays of sunshine shining through the window. Naruto had a few scrolls with him and was perusing them in the same chair he sat in earlier at the end of the bed. As it was entering evening, the door was now closed.

Then that all too familiar tapping near the door was heard yet again. Naruto didn't want whoever it was to wake Hinata, so he leapt from the chair to see who it was and what they wanted. He opened the door to find Sasuke standing there.

"Sasuke? Is everything alright?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, uh, Naruto," Sasuke replied seeing his friend open the door. Although he was the one who technically did the knocking and the visiting, upon seeing Naruto he suddenly felt a bit strange.

Naruto squeezed out into the hallway and let the door close behind him. "Your eyes are red, Sasuke," he noted. "Is Sakura alright?"

Sasuke just started laughing to himself. It was apparent to Naruto that his friend was acting weird and the laughing was more of a release of tension than anything else.

"Dobe, I'm a father," said Sasuke matter-of-factly. Naruto understood now what was going on. It was the flood of emotions that occurred after your firstborn had finally arrived. His entire world had just changed in just a few seconds.

"So what are you doing here, baka?" Naruto asked.

"Sakura's sleeping and they took the baby to the nursery. She was amazing. No outbursts or cries of pain at all...she was in control the entire time. I hardly even knew when the baby was being born other than Granny telling me what was happening," Sasuke explained.

"I can just imagine since she is so skilled with her chakra...but she probably ended up exhausting herself in the process," said Naruto. "And?"

"And what?" asked Sasuke. He saw the questioning look on Naruto's face, then he understood. "It's a boy. We named him Kasai. And he's the most amazing thing I've ever seen.


	8. Chapter 8: New Beginnings

Three shinobi gathered inside the Hokage's office and stood still and silent while they waited to hear why they were summoned.

"I've got a B-rank mission that I need the four of you to tackle," said Tsunade, not even bothering to look up from the papers she was reading. "A noble from the Land of Waves is travelling to the Land of Tea to visit the Daiymo there. He is old and not well, but still insists that this trip must be taken. Although he hasn't been active in politics for a very long time, there was a time when he was influential in his country. As such, he has requested our protection as he makes the journey just in case any of his old enemies were to appear."

"Not a problem!" shouted Rock Lee in his normal optimistic tone. "We will not let our guard down for a second!"

"Sasuke, you are taking the lead on this one," Tsunade continued.

Sasuke shouldn't have been surprised that he was the lead. In the years since returning to Konoha and restoring his name and place within the shinobi corps, he had excelled at becoming one of the most elite shinobi in the village. He quickly took a mental inventory of who Tsunade had decided to send.

Lee, an expert at taijutsu and physical fighting. Needed in case of opponents who might be strong in terms of sheer power and quickness.

Karin, welcomed as a shinobi to the Leaf Village years ago as the result of a project Sasuke had led. She excels as a sensory ninja so it would not be easy for any team she was on to be surprised by anyone. Also, she has extraordinary healing abilities that can come in handy.

"Lady Tsunade?" questioned Sasuke.

"Hm?"

"Who is the fourth man on the team?" he asked.

"I am," said the newest face to appear. "Sorry I'm late."

"Sakura?" questioned Sasuke. "But..."

"I know what you are going to say, but when Lady Tsunade offered me this easy mission, I had to jump on it. You know I haven't been on a mission since Kasai was born. I've been dying to get away, even if it is just a day or two," Sakura explained.

She looked at Sasuke and immediately understood the look he was giving her. "He's with my parents, just like we planned if this situation ever came up."

Sasuke exhaled, obviously still a little flustered at the sudden add of his wife to the mission he was being sent on. He knew that Sakura practically coveted the time she spent with their son, but could also understand how an immensely gifted shinobi like her would not want to give it all up just to take care of a child. They had mutually agreed back when they married that Sakura would be able to continue her shinobi work if she wished as long as any children were looked after in the meantime. He also knew this was merely a single mission and that he shouldn't get worried that she might want to become a full time mission-based shinobi again either...she simply enjoyed being a mother too much.

"I asked Sakura to join the team due to the customer's health," said Tsunade. "As gifted as Karin is, I didn't think she would want her specific healing technique to be the primary one used."

"Thank you for that," mumbled Karin almost inaudible. Biting a location on her body did heal people and did serve its purpose in emergency situations, but it did hurt and did drain her for at least a few hours afterwards. The technique had its limitations.

"Ok, team," Sasuke took over. "We meet at the front gate in a half hour. Go gather your things for the mission. You should expect to be away for approximately 4-5 days. Now, go!"

"Hai!" the team shouted back and disappeared.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Sakura and Sasuke returned home running side-by-side. It would be a quick pick-up of belongings and then a sprint to the front gate. They were the first to arrive.

"So what do you think, Sasuke? Easy one?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah, I think so. I've heard of this guy before. He wasn't as powerful a player as he thinks he was. I doubt anything is going to happen," answered Sasuke. "But the job pays the same either way, so we just go with it."

Sakura took a seat on a bench and exhaled. She looked a little tired.

"You've been working a lot lately," Sasuke noted. "Are you sure you are up for this?"

"I'm fine," she said smiling back at him. "There are too many reasons for me to go on this particular mission so I have to just bear it until I can get some rest tonight," she explained. "Somehow I have gone from being one of the best general medical shinobi in the world to one that specializes in maternity care."

"And that bothers you?" asked Sasuke.

"No, 'bothers' is the wrong word...I just want to make sure I am afforded the opportunity to keep up all my medical skills, not just delivering babies or meeting with pregnant women," explained Sakura.

"You are just good at it," said Sasuke. "Besides that, we have a lot of friends and friends of friends who are at the right age to have families of their own...you are probably getting a lot of referrals to see your responsibilities shift so much."

"Thanks," she replied. "Yes, and I must admit, I love to see the friends we've known since our early academy days grow up, get married and have children. Did you know that both Kiba and Shino's wives are now expecting and come to see me at the hospital?"

"Actually, that doesn't surprise me one bit," said Sasuke.

"While we're on this subject, Sasuke, there is something I should probably tell you," said Sakura.

Just the tone of that last statement took Sasuke aback. It seemed like whatever was coming next was something big.

"This might be the last mission I go on for Konoha," said Sakura. "I've been seriously considering retiring as a mission shinobi and concentrating full-time on my hospital work."

"Now I'm really confused," he replied. "I thought you wanted to keep up your skills and wanted to stay an active member of Team 7."

She leaned in and kissed him. "Thank you for trying to be so understanding," she noted. "The truth of the matter is...I love Kasai so much and don't want to be away from him. I love being a mother..."

Sasuke knew that the reasoning still didn't make sense. She could be a mother and still continue as before.

"...but, soon I will be the mother of two and I'm afraid I couldn't bear to leave two babies behind," she explained.

_Two?_ he questioned in his mind. Then it clicked. "Two?!" he said aloud.

Sakura smiled and nodded. It had only been about nine months since Kasai's birth, but already she was a few weeks into her second pregnancy.

The two of them hugged tightly and Sakura earned herself a kiss from him despite the fact that they were on-duty and just waiting to momentarily go off on a mission.

Once the hug broke, Sakura leaned back and said lowly to Sasuke. "For now, let's keep this between us, ok?" she asked. "At least until the mission is over."

"Awww, how sweet!" came a new voice from inside the village. It was loud and a tad bit sarcastic and headed their way.

Sakura and Sasuke turned their heads to see the two remaining teammates for this mission walking towards them.

"I see you two are still very much in love!" observed Rock Lee. "I hope that when I am married that I am able to show affection to my wife as readily as you two!"

Sakura sighed and shook her head ever so slightly.

"Are you two ready?" Sasuke asked the newcomers.

"Yes! Let us go!" shouted Rock Lee.

OlOlOlOlOlO

They had been moving most of day towards the Land of Waves to meet the noble who had contracted them to escort him to the Land of Tea. It was most likely not going to be a difficult mission, thus there was real no hurry to get anywhere or so anything. They were not set to depart the Land of Waves until tomorrow afternoon which meant that if the team desired, they could stop at any time for the night.

"Let's stop here. It's as good a place as any," said Sasuke.

"Sas-uke!" Karin whined. "We are only a few hours from the Land of Waves. Can't we just keep going and stay at an inn there?"

"I'd rather rest now instead of push ourselves to travel when we are already exhausted. There's no guarantee that the inn will have any vacancies when we get there anyway. I mean, who checks in at two in the morning?" replied Sasuke.

"I agree with Sasuke," said Sakura. "We can just pitch tents here and sleep in tomorrow. What do you think, Lee?"

"Uh, I do not care either way," said Lee. "I am fine either way." Then he noted how miserable Karin looked. She had become acclimated to the life of a Konoha shinobi, but she still certainly whined when she didn't get her way.

"Karin, even if Lee agreed with you and I was open to a vote, then it is 2-2 either way and I am the leader on this mission so we're staying here tonight. Deal with it," explained Sasuke.

"Fine!" she pouted and stomped away to start unpacking her overnight things. She continued to mumble all the while. Sasuke was sure she was most likely bad mouthing him, but was certainly willing to look the other way. He was used to it and it wasn't worth the effort to confront her further.

In no time at all, the tents were up and the fire was going. Each of them had brought their own food to cook for dinner.

Karin had definitely calmed down as the minutes slowly passed. Sasuke didn't care about the outburst and frankly, Sakura didn't either. Lee, on the other hand, was still a bit on edge not being used to such an argument among people who were supposed to be on the same side.

Sakura finished her dinner and stood up. "I'm going to head to the lake we passed earlier," she said politely. "Karin, care to join me?" She certainly wasn't carrying a bathing suit, so it was understood that no clothing would be worn as she swam.

"Uh, no...thanks," said Karin. She certainly harbored no ill will for Sakura at all, but was still not in the mood to strip naked and go swimming with her either.

"I'll go," said Sasuke, the one man who would be permitted to swim with Sakura in this particular situation. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all," Sakura answered.

Sasuke rose and joined his wife and they walked into the dark woods. Lee and Karin continued to silently sit by the fire. Lee poked it a few times with a large stick and Karin just continued to stare at it.

"Are you alright?" Lee finally asked.

"Me?" she questioned. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm known for my angry outbursts when I don't get my way." Karin tried to come across as self-deprecating in her tone. She even let out a hint of a smile.

"No worries," he noted. "As long as you are alright. It did seem somewhat of an overreaction."

"He just gets to me sometimes, that's all," said Karin. "He used to be horrible to me and as much as I claim to be over it since his return to the Leaf and his reformation, sometimes I find myself reacting in a very similar way as I did back then."

"Ohhh," added Lee.

"Did you know he once stabbed me?" said Karin. "Didn't give a care about it. Danzo was holding me and his only objective was to kill him. So he attacked Danzo and me at the same time."

"I'm surprised you can stand to be around him at all then," remarked Lee, sympathizing with his fellow shinobi.

"He was kind of psycho back then though. I knew it, too. He's apologized for it, and has helped me become a Konoha shiobi since then," she explained. "I owe him a lot."

"I heard a rumor that you used to like him," said Lee.

"Huh?!" Karin reacted suddenly. "You heard that? No, I, um..."

"Oh! Sorry, was I wrong?" he asked.

"Yes! I mean...no, there was that, too...I guess," she answered.

"It must be hard to see him with someone else then," he said sadly.

"It's not that hard," Karin explained. "The old Sasuke stabbed me, then I didn't see him for a year or two after that. I pretty much got over him while I was being held by the Leaf. I think he and Sakura actually complement each other pretty well."

"Oh, is that so," Lee answered.

"What?" she asked. His reply seemed to be loaded, as if there was something else to be said.

"I, um...," Lee started. "I used to be head over heels for Sakura, too."

"So we're in almost the same situation then," said Karin.

"Yes, I suppose you are right," agreed Lee.

OlOlOlOlOlO

It was at least an hour later when Sasuke and Sakura ventured back to where their campsite was set up for the night.

"At least we get to sleep in tomorrow. It's outside, but I've never had a problem as long as the sleeping bag...," Sasuke was explaining.

Sakura grabbed her clueless husband and quickly ducked behind a bush. "Shhhhh!"

"What?" Sasuke questioned.

"Look," Sakura nodded towards the campfire.

Their two teammates were happily chatting to one another...but it was more than that. They were no longer on opposite sides of the fire. In fact, they were not sitting quite close.

"What the hell happened between those two? Is he actually holding her hand?" Sasuke questioned.

"Yes. Yes, he is," said Sakura with a smile. "And so another couple begins..."


	9. Chapter 9: Are they ready?

"This sure brings back memories," said Naruto to his wife as they entered the academy grounds on foot.

"Daddy, is this really where you went to school?" Kiro interrupted.

"That's right," Naruto answered. He sighed in reflection.

"I'm surprised you are being so sentimental," noted Hinata. "After all, the days you spent here were still not happy ones."

"I know," said Naruto. "But still, in all those years that I had to endure being an outcast, in retrospect, I wouldn't be who I am today if I didn't have to go through that."

Hinata nodded in thought pondering what she had just been told.

"And besides, it wasn't all bad...Iruka-sensei was a pretty good teacher," said Naruto.

As they got closer to the academy building itself, Aiko started getting ancy. Apparently the younger kids were outside for a recess at the moment – and they looked like they were having a lot of fun.

Kiro must have seen it, too, because he took note and started to run off towards the children. Aiko attempted to follow. Naruto caught them both quickly.

"Hold on you, two," said Naruto. "Just because you see a bunch of kids playing doesn't necessarily mean you can just go join them. This is a school and those kids are currently being looked after even if it doesn't look like it. Not anyone can just jump in and join them."

"Please Daddy?" pleaded Kiro, thinking that might change his Dad's mind.

"Naruto!" shouted a voice from the direction of the kids. Naruto looked over in that general direction.

A woman was walking towards them and waving her arm.

"Who is that?" asked Hinata.

"I'm not sure...it looks like...Kyoku?" he said with a puzzled look on his face. _It can't be_, he thought to himself. _She's not a teacher_…

"Hi Naruto. Hinata," the woman greeted warmly.

"Kyoku, it really is you, isn't it?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, you probably never thought I'd end up here, did you?" Kyoku asked.

"Are you really a sensei now, Kyoku?" Naruto asked.

"I've only been here for a few months, but yes, you can call me Kyoku-sensei now," she replied. She was definitely not being serious, after all she was younger than both Naruto and Hinata.

"Congratulations," said Naruto. "...and you're right, I never thought you'd end up here. You just seemed to enjoy field work too much."

"No, you're wrong. I didn't enjoy it so much as I was good at it," said Kyoku. "I spoke with Lady Tsunade and she was very open to me trying a few new jobs to find a place where I would be happy. The Academy was the first place I tried and I really like it here."

"Good for you," added Naruto.

"We really ought to get going," Hinata prodded her husband awkwardly. "Iruka-sensei is waiting."

"Daddy, please can we stay out here?" Kiro pleaded again.

"For the last time, Kiro, I can't just let you join the class," said Naruto.

"Iruka-sensei is expecting you, is that correct?" asked Kyoku. "He mentioned it earlier in the teacher's lounge...if it isn't a bother, I can certainly take these two with me. I'm in charge of the youngest ones at the Academy and they are currently finishing up a recess. Kiro and Aiko may benefit from seeing what a real academy class looks like - not only during recess, but once we've gone inside to start class again as well."

"Can we go?" asked Aiko, this time aiming the request towards Hinata.

"Are you sure, Kyoku?" asked Naruto. "They aren't used to class...they may be disruptive."

Kyoku knelt down to where Kiro and Aiko stood by their parents. "Do you two promise to follow the rules and do whatever sensei asks?"

"Hai!" they both yelled excitedly.

Kyoku smiled and stood up taking each of them by the hand. "I don't think it will be a problem," said Kyoku. "Just drop by the classroom when you are ready to go."

"Alright then. You two behave yourselves," said Naruto.

Happily, Kiro and Aiko walked away with Kyoku back towards where the other kids were playing. Naruto shouted Kyoku-sensei, "Thank you!"

Hinata stood there with Hokori still sleeping in the sling she was carrying. "I hope they'll be alright."

"They'll be fine. I've been on missions with Kyoku and I can tell you not only is she a strong shinobi, but she is caring and responsible as well. She is perfect to be sensei to the youngest students."

"You're right, Naruto. I'm probably just worrying over nothing," admitted Hinata.

"Let's go find Iruka-sensei," said Naruto.

OlOlOlOlOlO

"Iruka-sensei?" said Naruto and tapped gently on the doorframe leading to where Iruka's desk sat in one of the areas normally off limits to students.

"Ah, Naruto and Hinata. I've been expecting you," said Iruka. He stood up and made his way to the door. "Let's go find a place a little more comfortable to talk. Right this way."

Iruka led them down the hall to a small room that looked like it was designed for small meetings...perhaps for teachers to collaborate or for instances when a parent was called to the school to discuss their student's academics or behavior.

"I've never seen this room before," noted Naruto.

"Uh, no you haven't," said Iruka turning a little red in the face. "Normally students never see this room, well, unless a parent is called to the school."

"Ah, I see," Naruto replied without batting an eye. "Iruka-sensei, were you afraid to bring that up? That's long in the past, so don't worry about it."

Iruka nodded.

"So can I assume you wanted to talk to me about your soon-to-be Academy students?" Iruka asked.

"You got it," said Naruto.

"As you know, Kiro and Aiko are twins. They are not quite five yet, but we wanted to ask your opinion about when you thought we should start them," explained Hinata.

"I've only had the chance to interact with them a little bit," said Iruka. "Can you tell me a little about them and what they are like?" He paused. "By the way, where are they anyway? I'm surprised you didn't bring them along."

"Oh, we did!" said Hinata.

"We ran into Kyoku outside with her class and she noticed how much they wanted to go be with her class," said Naruto. "So she took them with her."

"I see," said Iruka. "So they were motivated to be with the other kids? That's a very good sign that they are willing to leave your side so easily."

"They've always been close to us," noted Hinata, "But both have shown a fierce independent streak already, so it doesn't surprise me they were willing to leave us."

"This is actually very good practice for them. Maybe we can take a peek inside later to see how they are doing," said Iruka. "Now, please tell me about their personalities...likes, dislikes, quirks and so forth."

Naruto started, "Well, like we said, both of the kids are very independent. And they both seem to be quite intelligent...definitely smarter than I was at that age."

_That's because no one paid any attention to you_, though Iruka, again feeling a small pang of guilt knowing all about Naruto's origins.

"I would swear that Kiro was a miniature copy of you, Naruto...and Aiko looks very much like Hinata. However, both definitely have the Hyuuga's eyes, but have you seen any evidence of functionality of the Byakugan in either one of them?"

"Actually, Kiro has already demonstrated usage of his Byakugan," replied Hinata. "Aiko has not, but we are still hoping that it will activate in the future."

"I see," said Iruka-sensei, taking some notes on a piece of paper.

"To be honest with you, we both think Kiro is very ready to start the academy. If it was just him, there would be no question. He is already training his Byakugan with the Hyuuga and his personality is such that we think he could handle entering the academy quite easily," explained Naruto.

"...Aiko is our hesitation," added Hinata. "She is independent, but also introverted. She does not yet have any sort of inclination towards becoming a shinobi and we don't want to force her..."

"Well, force is a strong word," interrupted Naruto. "What Hinata is trying to say is that we think she will be a fine shinobi someday, she is just behind her brother. And the bottom line is that we don't want to separate them. We feel they should enroll together."

After about twenty minutes of further explanation and discussion, the brief meeting with Iruka-sensei was over. Iruka had by now been doing this job for years and had seen many situations regarding enrollment of young children into the academy. Some were a little older, but still wanted to join and their parents wanted to be sure that was alright. Others were troublemakers and their families were afraid enrolling their kids would not be in their best interest (they didn't want to damage their family name should something bad happen). Still others were beyond motivated, but showed little talent. Iruka was knowledgeable about most situations and could make recommendations for almost any situation presented to him..

"Let's go down to Kyoku-sensei's classroom and take a look," said Iruka, leading the way to the area where the first years were taught. Naruto could hear Kyoku talking to the class from down the hallway as they approached the room where his kids presumably were. Not a sound was heard from the room, which he thought was strange for a bunch of four and five-year olds.

"Come with me," Iruka prodded and led them both out a nearby door.

Naruto found himself outside the building once again.

"Shhh," Iruka put his finger to his lips.

Slowly, they walked to where the classroom was. Now they were able to look in to see what was going on without disturbing the class.

Both Naruto and Hinata found their children sitting between a few other students, silently watching and listening to Kyoku. The lecture itself was very basic material, but the way she was making it - almost like a story - the kids couldn't help but be caught up in it.

"Their attention spans seem to be just fine," whispered Iruka. "They look to be just like any other entry-level academy student."

Then, one student next to Aiko raised her hand. "Kyoku-sensei? Why did the elephant eat that man?" she asked.

"It was to protect her," answered Kyoku. "If you are friends with them, some types of animals, they can do that when you are in trouble."

"Whoooa! Cool!" said a few kids in the class. Naruto thought it was cute. This was probably the first time these kids had had any type of learning about summoning animals.

"That's pretty cute," noted Hinata softly. "A very effective way to teach them the knowledge they need, but make it so someone so young would be interested."

Iruka moved away from the building so he could talk normally. Hinata and Naruto followed.

Standing in the yard, he made his recommendations. "Based on what you've told me and the limited amount of time I've seen your kids, I would recommend that they both start the academy during the next enrollment period. I have noted your hesitation about Aiko, so if there are any issues, we will be sure to give special attention to her to resolve them. Does this sound acceptable to you?"

"Y-yes," answered Hinata.

"Sounds like a plan," said Naruto. "Thanks for your time today...I think we both feel much better about their readiness to start here."

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Naruto and his family were walking back to their home in the Hyuuga compound after the meeting with Iruka-sensei.

"How would you two like to start attending academy in a few weeks?" asked Naruto.

"Us?" questioned Aiko. "Everyday?"

"Yes!" shouted Kiro.

"You two seemed to enjoy the time you spent in Kyoku-sensei's class today. Am I wrong?" asked Hinata.

Aiko nodded. Kiro asked, "Will I see Liu again?"

"Who's Liu?" asked Naruto immediately.

"Just someone from the class. He seemed pretty nice," answered Kiro.

"Well - ," started Hinata.

"You see, Kiro. That class you were in today? They are a little older than you. When your class starts in a few weeks, their class will move up to the next level...then you two will be in the youngest class," explained Naruto.

"But I'm sure you will still both make lots of friends," added Hinata.

"Ok!" said Kiro in excitement.

Hinata looked up and noted that a couple of familiar faces were walking towards them.

"Hey Chouji!" greeted Naruto when they finally met before passing.

"Naruto, out with the whole family, I see," said Chouji.

"It's almost time to enroll these two into the academy," explained Naruto. "We just met with Iruka-sensei."

"Seriously?!" Ino's expression was one of surprise. "There is no way that much time has passed."

"I'm afraid so," said Naruto.

"Iruka-sensei says they are ready," said Hinata. "So in a few weeks, they'll be enrolled."

"I feel old," said Chouji.

"Speak for yourself," said Ino, who certainly didn't want to even think she might be getting old.

Just then, Hokori started to fuss. Hinata attempted to bounce him a little to calm him down, but today, it just wasn't happening.

"I think we should go. He looks hungry to me," said Naruto.

"The way he eats...yes, it is definitely time for him to be fed," added Hinata.

"It was good seeing you," said Ino. "It has been a while."

"We should do something sometime...dinner perhaps," Hinata said.

"Definitely," agreed Chouji. "Food is always good."

They all nodded and went on their way.

Naruto turned around to look at their friends as they walked away in the opposite direction. They were now holding hands.

"It's good to see them finally get together," he acknowledged.

Hinata nodded in agreement. "I thought when Shikamaru fell for Temari all those years ago that Ino would never get over her broken heart," Hinata added.

"That was even after her Sasuke infatuation," added Naruto. "I know it's hard to control who you like, but there was no way Sasuke was ever going to end up with her."

Hinata elbowed him. "Not that you would have minded." Hinata had always been well-aware that Naruto had a crush on Sakura in his younger days and having Ino with Sasuke would have certainly made it easier on him.

"Oh come on now...you're not going to give me grief about all that are you? We were like twelve!" Naruto pleaded.

Hinata giggled. Naruto kind of knew she was joking…that she was just having fun trying to get him rile up.

Hokori let out another wail.

"Let's get going," said Hinata.

"I agree," said Naruto. No one wanted to prolong Hokori's crankiness any longer.


	10. Chapter 10: Then Things Changed

_Flashback begin_

"Ino...," Chouji said softly his teammate who was alone and seemed to be crying. She sat there in the small coffee shop by herself. Her head was down so that no one could see her face. However, Chouji knew her in an instant.

"Ino," he said again trying to get her to at least react to him standing there. She didn't move or say anything at all. Chouji decided to sit down across from here even though he wasn't sure if he was welcome to or not.

"I haven't seen you this upset since...," he tried to talk to her again.

This time she did move. Her head rose and she looked at him. "Since he came back from _that_ mission?"

"Yeah. That's pretty much what I was going to say," replied Chouji.

That mission... Shikamaru, Sasuke and Sakura had returned to the Leaf in good spirits after the mission to Suna that lasted a few weeks. Life moved on and slowly it was revealed that not only were Sasuke and Sakura getting serious, but also that Shikamaru had apparently really connected with Temari of the Sand.

"Well, it just got a thousand times worse," Ino blurted out.

Chouji knew this was going to happen and his heart ached for her. Ino Yamanaka and Shikamaru Nara had been his teammates for years by this point. Even so, their fathers had also been teammates and as such, he had never even known life without Ino and Shika by his side. Now, Shikamaru was going to follow his heart. He was going to marry Temari and from then on, reside in Sand.

It was true that "team" no longer meant what it used to right when they graduated the academy and became genin. Since then, most of their friends had gone on to different assignments and different rankings. If the Hokage were to send any shinobi on a mission, one could only guess who your teammates would end up being. But even so, there was just something about the bonds you held with your original team...nothing could ever replace them or break them.

"Ino, it's not like he died or something," Chouji tried to comfort her. "He'll be in Sand only a couple of days away, perfectly healthy and happy."

Ino flashed him the look of death and Chouji jumped back in his seat when he saw it.

"Stop trying to make me feel better. You know perfectly why I am as upset as I am," she replied.

This statement broke Chouji's heart a little. Yes, he _did_ know why she was so upset. With no chance in hell that a relationship would ever be in the cards for her and Sasuke, Ino had gradually given up on the Uchiha. For whatever reason, over time, her affections happened to turn towards her ponytailed teammate...and now it would seem nothing would come of this either.

There had never been a formal confession. Ino had made it well-known that it was Shikamaru that she liked, but she never actually crossed that line for fear of ruining their already tight relationship.

"I wish I had said something," she lamented. "If I had, I would be no worse off than I already am. Maybe _she_ wouldn't have gotten her claws into him."

"What can I do for you Ino?" Chouji finally said. He had had just about enough of this...not out of anger, but out of desperation. As much as it was common knowledge that Ino liked Shika, it was also a well-known fact that Chouji was partial to Ino. Her complete breakdown at this point was dually sad for him. Not only did she not show him the same affection as she did for Shikamaru, but he above all others only wanted her happiness and right now, she was not happy at all.

She wiped away a few tears from her very red eyes with her forearm. "Oh Chouji," she said. She actually let out a slight laugh. "I'm so sorry that you have to put up with me."

Chouji couldn't take it anymore and he moved to the side of the table where Ino sat. He grabbed her and held her tightly.

"No more," he said quietly. "When are you going to learn that I would never, ever hurt you? You can always depend on me."

Something clicked in Ino's mind. It wasn't a loud click...but in her mind something opened nonetheless. _That's right_, she thought to herself. _Chouji is still by my side._ In fact, she could never imagine him ever leaving her side...ever. She wasn't sure why or how, but for some reason right then and there, she became open to the possibility of Chouji becoming her most precious person.

_Flashback end_

"So you are really going to go through with it like this?" asked Sakura.

"Forehead, I thought of all of my friends that you'd be the one to understand the most," replied Ino.

Sakura smiled and let out a laugh. "I guess you got me there," she replied. "Actually, I think you one-upped me. After all, I didn't want a big ceremony either but I ended up having a real wedding after all."

"Everyone had a wonderful time at your wedding, so don't knock it," answered Ino. "But for Chouji and I, I think this is just perfect."

"Speaking of...here he comes," said Sakura.

Chouji walked up to the two ladies and greeted them. "Are you ready for this?" he asked his bride.

"Definitely," she said and pecked him on the lips.

_It's amazing how far they've come_, thought Sakura to herself. _I never thought she would ever give him a 2nd glance even after all he did to support her over the years. I'm so happy it worked out after all. _

"Now where's Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Just then she noticed the blonde shinobi running towards them. "Sorry I'm late!" he shouted, still running.

He finally made it to the small group and he bent down, hands to knees, to catch his breath. "Sorry," he apologized again. "I've just...never been here before."

"It's alright," said Ino. "You weren't very late anyway. Shall we get started?"

Sakura and Naruto nodded.

"Your parents are going to kill you," Sakura said to Ino.

"They'll get over it," Ino replied.

One by one they entered the building with the sign on the front that read "Justice of the Peace."

OlOlOlOlOlO

Aiko sat quietly on a bench located close to the Academy building. It was recess, but unlike most of the other students, she often enjoyed spending at least some of her time alone, in a more quiet area, usually reading.

"Aiko, don't you want to play?" asked one of her classmates.

"No, thanks. I want to finish this book today," Aiko replied.

"Oh, ok," replied the friend. Thankfully for Aiko, she was well-accepted inside the Academy walls and didn't worry too much about fitting in. She did what she chose to do and no one seemed to care...she was just Aiko and that was enough. She was lucky in that regard. Naruto and Hinata, it seems, shouldn't have worried about her after all.

However, Kiro was a little different. The sibling that both Naruto and Hinata thought wouldn't have any issues at all with the adjustment to Academy life was actually struggling quite a bit. Some of it probably wasn't his fault, but some of it probably was and something needed to change. The situation certainly couldn't stay as it was.

Kiro was standing by the side of a large grassy area watching some boys play what looked to be some sort of tag. He had never played this game, so he didn't immediately ask to jump in. He just stood there next to a few girls who were also watching the game.

He noticed that when the game stopped briefly from time to time, a few of the boys would seemingly look in his direction. Sometimes it looked like they were whispering and laughing as well.

Finally, one of the boys walked up him. Kiro thought they might invite him to join the game, but instead the boy blurted out, "I would invite you to join us, but I don't want to play next to someone who thinks they are better than us."

"But - ," started Kiro in response. He stopped himself short.

"Yeah, go play with that sister of yours. She's the only one who likes you," said another boy.

Kiro sighed. He still wasn't sure what he had done to upset a good portion of the boys in the class. It all started a few days after classes began when he was approached by a girl in his class asking about his eyes and if he was a Hyuuga or not.

Unfortunately for Kiro, he didn't just answer the question - he did a full demonstration of his byakugan and may have, in retrospect, sounded a bit too full of himself at the time. He explained how not only was he a son of both the Uzumaki and Hyuuga clans, but that he is also the son of the future Hokage and that even though he is only half Hyuuga, he has a fully functioning eye jutsu. He rambled on and on about how superior he would be when they finally graduated because of his byakugan.

Aiko had walked over and stood with a few of the boys who had also been listening while Kiro talked and talked about how special he was. Aiko heard the boys spout off behind her at how stuck-up Kiro had sounded and that they thought he most likely thought they were beneath them.

Finally Kiro finished and the crowd around him dispersed and went their own ways. "Kiro, why did you have to do that?" Aiko asked when they were finally alone.

"What?" he rhetorically questioned, still as full of himself as ever.

Aiko didn't answer. She only shook her head. She knew that show-offs and people who think they are superior are not always the ones who are well-liked. You might be one of the smartest or most talented kids in a class, but life at the Academy could be hell if you weren't included by the others no matter what the reason. She had taken her father's story to heart when she first heard it as told by her mother.

After the incident starting it all, it didn't help that the sensei had also asked him to demonstrate the use of his byakugan during official class time either. But by then, Kiro was sensing something was seriously amiss.

Then life turned into that tag game at recess. Multiple times a day, Kiro would be ignored or put down. He thought he had figured out what they were so upset about, but still didn't quite understand what exactly he had done that was so bad to merit this reaction.

OlOlOlOlOlO

"How was your day at the Academy?" Hinata asked as she greeted her son and daughter as they walked into the house.

"Fine," said Aiko. She ducked into the kitchen to grab a snack before she settled in to get her homework done.

"I hate school!" shouted Kiro in frustration. He stomped to his bedroom and slammed the door shut.

"Oh my," said Hinata. She thought it best to leave the situation for the time being. Right now with tensions being so obviously high, she thought it best to let Kiro calm down a little bit before prying to see what was the matter.

Hinata took Hokori to change his diaper then started preparing dinner. While the food was cooking, she sat her youngest son in his high chair so that he could be fed his baby food. It wasn't long before Aiko reemerged.

"What's that smell?" asked Aiko, walking into the kitchen.

"I've got Miso soup simmering and I'm cooking teriyaki chicken and rice as well," answered Hinata.

"I'm starving," Aiko commented before sitting down at the dining table.

"Are you done your homework?" Hinata asked.

"Yes, there wasn't that much," Aiko answered. "I did most of it before I got home."

A pregnant pause ensued.

"Say Aiko, do you know why Kiro is having such a hard time at school?" Hinata asked.

"Hm?" Aiko answered, a bit distracted. "It's his own fault, y'know."

"What is?" asked Hinata.

"He basically started off the year telling and showing our classmates how great he was. He showed off and bragged and some of them didn't like that very much," Aiko answered.

"I see," answered Hinata. "Has he shown anyone the byakugan yet?"

"Are you kidding? The first time he showed it to anyone, it was during recess," Aiko replied. "It wasn't like anyone had asked him during a class...he just went and activated it to show-off to a few girls who had noticed his eyes."

"Hm," Hinata said as she listened to her daughter. "So now some of the kids don't like him, huh."

"Exactly," said Aiko. "And they definitely let him know it. They tease him and ignore him. That's why he hates school."

Silence enveloped the mother and daughter again while Hinata thought about the situation.

Before long, Hinata was back up at the stove stirring the soup.

"So?" asked Aiko.

"What?" Hinata asked.

"What are you going to do about this?' she asked. "Are Dad or you coming to school?"

"I don't think your Dad would be the best person to handle this one," she answered. "He would take your brother's side no matter what and I'm not sure that would be constructive."

"So are you coming then?" asked Aiko.

"No," said Hinata. "I don't think that would be the best course of action either."

"Then what are you going to do? I know he made a mistake and all, but I don't think he should be miserable for the next seven or eight years because of it," said Aiko.

"He does need to discuss this with someone, that's for sure. And I think I know who the best person would be," explained Hinata. "Just leave it to me."


	11. Chapter 11: Connection and Reconnection

_The next day..._

"Hi Mom!" shouted Aiko when she opened the door and entered her house within the Hyuuga compound. She didn't know where her mother was, but figured she was somewhere nearby and she'd be sure to hear her shouting.

"Welcome home," said Hinata, the normal greeting when a family member came home. "Is Kiro with you?"

"He's probably five or ten minutes behind me," said Aiko loudly so Hinata could still hear. "Sensei told him to stay behind when the rest of us were dismissed. I waited a minute or two, but figured he could find his way without me for once."

Aiko put her bag down next to her shoes in the entryway and made her way to her mother, still having a normal conversation. But when she finally entered the living room, she stopped abruptly. Her mother was not alone after all.

"Oh!" she exclaimed upon seeing the other person in the living room. "Ohhhh..."

"If Kiro will be home soon, would you mind going to your room for just a bit?" Hinata asked.

"But Mom...," Aiko pleaded.

"No buts, Aiko. This is serious and your presence would most likely be distracting," explained Hinata.

"Aw, ok," answered Aiko.

Just as she turned to go to her room, the front door opened. There was no shout or greeting this time. Hinata rose from the couch to verify that it was, in fact, her son who had entered the house unannounced.

"Kiro?" Hinata said when she saw him to get his attention. "Come to the living room when you get your shoes off."

When Kiro finally made it to the living room, he was surprised (just as Aiko had been) to see someone he wasn't expecting sitting there.

"Hello Kiro," said Sasuke to the young Uzumaki boy.

"Uchiha-sama," said Kiro aloud.

Sasuke laughed out loud when he heard that. "Sama? Hell, you don't even have to call me Uchiha-san. Just Sasuke is fine. I can't imagine the son of that Dobe calling me anything formal."

Hinata broken in. "Kiro, I have invited Sasuke here to have a talk with you about some things," she explained. "I'd like for the two of you to go into your room and talk."

"About what?" Kiro asked not really putting two plus two together quite yet. He really didn't know why Sasuke Uchiha was here to see him of all people. Could it be perhaps something Sasuke needed from him? It was the only thing he could think of.

"Let's go, Kiro," Sasuke rose and grabbed Kiro by the wrist and headed for his room.

Although most of the time Sasuke spent with Naruto and Hinata was not in this house, he had certainly been here enough times to know his way around. He had spent time with Kiro and Aiko as they grew from infants to toddlers to kids, but to be honest, it was never one-on-one time like this was. Kiro, for sure, knew who he was. In fact, it seemed that his Dad and Sasuke were not only teammates, but the best of friends. Of course, still being so young, he had never really heard the whole story of the two of them.

Sasuke closed the door and sat down in the only chair in Kiro's room. Kiro naturally took a seat on the bed still wondering what on earth was going on.

"So?" Kiro asked.

"I hear you've activated your byakugan," Sasuke said matter-of-factly.

"Yes," said Kiro.

"Have you been training it?" asked Sasuke.

"Yes, Uncle Neji and Mom have taught me things - though not much is formal until I'm a little older," explained Kiro. "Why?"

"I also hear you've been having some problems at school," said Sasuke finally getting to the point.

"Uh," Kiro stuttered not expecting that last bit of information to be known by anyone who wasn't still under ten years old. "Not really."

"What do you mean 'not really'?" Sasuke asked. "From what I hear, you aren't liked at all by anyone...but especially by the boys in your class."

"Maybe that's true, but what do I care? I don't need them. I've got enough talent to get by...and I've got my byakugan," Kiro explained.

"Wow," said Sasuke after hearing it for himself. "You really do sound cocky - like me when I as your age."

"Is that why you're here?" Kiro asked.

"Sort of. In fact, to be more accurate, you are a combination of both myself and your father back in our days at the Academy," explained Sasuke. "And I'm here to explain a few things to you so that you can get back on the right path again."

"What's wrong with the path I'm on?" Kiro asked.

"Kid, you have talent, that's for sure. I can just look at your parents to know that you were bound to have talent, but there are a few other things you need to be successful...friends, teammates...you know, the people who have your back," said Sasuke.

"Like I said, who needs them?" asked Kiro.

Sasuke laughed. "First of all, when you do graduate, you are put on a team. Missions are given to teams, not to individual shinobi. You need to work together to accomplish a mission and your comrades must trust you just as much as you trust them. Then there is always the promotion aspect of it all. Academy student, genin, chunin, jounin...who are the ones who make it up the chain? I can assure you that they certainly aren't the ones who are isolated and do things their own way without listening to others."

Kiro had a look on his face that Sasuke could tell was a look of doubt - he wasn't quite sure what to make of this conversation. Here was this adult standing in front of him essentially lecturing him about how being a loner who didn't need anyone, no matter how good he is, is going to hamper his efforts in the long run. He will never be successful without the help of others...but why should he believe him?

"Who do you think is the most powerful shinobi in the world right now?" asked Sasuke.

"My Dad," Kiro answered.

Sasuke figured that he would say that. It was probably true even though there were a few others who were still just about as strong, including himself.

"How did your Dad end the Fourth Ninja World War?" Sasuke asked.

"...," Kiro paused. "You both did it together, didn't you?"

"That's true...but do you know how it went down?" asked Sasuke.

"Um...not really," said Kiro.

"Your Dad took on the leader of the Akatsuki himself. It was a man by the name of Tobi. Unfortunately for him, he was about to lose until I stepped in," explained Sasuke. "When I showed up and saved his ass, we ended up teaming up and went at the bad guy together. That's how we ended up winning. So, you see, even the strongest need back-up."

"But wouldn't you have helped him anyway," asked Kiro. "You didn't need to be teammates or friends..."

"That's true. You always do your duty, but you have to understand, that it works better when people know you and trust you," explained Sasuke.

Kiro paused again.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"Why did you have to be the one to talk to me?" Kiro asked.

"There are a couple of reasons, actually," said Sasuke. "For one, when I told you that you were a combination of me and your Dad, I meant it. Your Dad was a loner when he was at the Academy. Unlike you, however, he desperately tried to make friends and no one would go near him. It wasn't until he became a member of Team 7 that things started to turn around for him. If I told him his son was starting to go down that same path, he would probably flip out and that is something both you and I do not want, believe me."

Kiro nodded.

Sasuke continued, "Also, that cocky attitude of yours? That is where I come into the picture. I led a very painful childhood after my family died, but there was one thing I could always hang my hat on. The fact that I was an Uchiha and had the sharingan. I used to think I was all that, too. It took me a very long time to learn my lesson...years as a matter of fact. I don't want you to have to go through the same thing I did."

Kiro looked at Sasuke's eyes and noticed they were now red with three black tomoe in each iris. "Whoa!" said Kiro both surprised and amazed at the same time.

"You have the byakugan, also a very powerful and useful eye jutsu. You should count yourself lucky...not better than others. It is a powerful tool to own, but it does not make you better than other people. I recall that during his first chunin exam when we were about twelve or thirteen, your father even beat Neji who had a well-trained bykugan."

"Of course Dad beat Uncle Neji," said Kiro. "Like I said, he's the best shinobi in the world, right?"

Sasuke facepalmed a bit. "Yeah, but back then, believe me, it wasn't an expected thing. Your Dad growing up...well, let's just say it took him a while to get to where he is today. He was kind of a knucklehead. What he did is essentially what you have to do now...work hard, stay on the right path, and never give up. Don't take your talents for granted. Strive to be the best, but show people what you are...not tell them. Earn their respect for your skills."

Kiro thought about what was told to him for a bit. "It does kind of suck to be the one everyone dislikes...," he lamented. "But even if I agree with you, what can I do to fix the situation now? They already hate me."

"Kids your age tend to have short memories. Stop trying to force them to listen to you, stop showing off, and stop trying to butt in where they don't want you. You'll see...after a while, they'll change their minds and soon this will all be a distant memory. But you'll really have to be serious about this change," said Sasuke. "If you go back to boasting, they'll go right back to not wanting to be around you anymore. Can you do it?"

"Yeah. I think I can," said Kiro more to himself than to Sasuke. He now let out a slight smile.

"...and if you ever need to talk, you are welcome at the Uchiha compound anytime," said Sasuke.

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Hinata entered the establishment and looked around for the friends she was supposed to meet.

"Yo, Hinata! Over here!" was followed by an all too familiar bark. She immediately spotted her old genin teammates and headed in their direction.

"Hi Hinata," said Shino in his usual flat manner when she finally got to the table.

"Hi Kiba. Hi Shino. I'm so happy you guys could finally get free so we could have a dinner like this," she explained. She plopped down a decorated bag in front of each of them before taking a seat herself.

"Uh, what's this?" asked Kiba.

"Presents!" she announced. "I wanted to wait until it was just the three of us to give them to you. I'm just sorry it took so long." She nodded so that both men would know it was alright to dig into their bags.

Kiba pulled out a small outfit with a puppy on the front and held it up. His cheeks turned a bit pink.

Shino pulled out a stuffed caterpillar.

"Uh, thanks," said Kiba.

"Thank you," said Shino.

"You must have put a lot of thought into these," laughed Kiba, immediately noticing the dog and bug theme.

"I try my best!" she exclaimed. "Hokori loves his stuffed bear and this caterpillar is made by the same store. I know Yochu will love it. And Kiba, Koinu is almost six months old now, right? I made sure to buy it a little bigger so he could grow into it."

The waitress appeared and the order for food was placed. The teammates talked like no time at all had passed among the three of them. Although they hardly got to see each other these days, the bonds that they shared were rock-solid and unbreakable.

The food came and they started eating.

"How are your kids doing, Hinata? Do you miss going on a lot of missions?" asked Kiba.

"I go on enough," she said. "It's a little hard, but it was one of the things I had to accept by marrying the next Hokage. His training comes first. But that's ok, I love being with my children. Although Kiro and Aiko are now at the Academy during most days."

Kiba gagged on his food. "Seriously?! We are getting old."

"We are almost the same ages as our senseis when we graduated the Academy," noted Shino.

"Interesting. I didn't think about that," answered Hinata. "So are you guys considering becoming team leads at any point?"

"Maybe," answered Kiba. "The clan is taking up a lot of time right now, but when Yochu gets a little older I think I will."

"I submitted my name just a few weeks ago," said Shino. "The way our clan works is that the children are raised in more of a group setting so me not being around as much won't change much of anything. I've always wanted to be a team leader, although I'm still a little young. It may be a year or two until they consider me seriously."

"I'm sure you'll be a great team lead," said Hinata.

Before long, the food was eaten and the bill split three ways. The three friends got up and started to make their way outside.

"It was far too long since we did something like this," said Hinata as they stood just outside the restaurant about to say good-bye. "Promise me we'll do this more often than we have."

"It's a promise," said Kiba.

"You got it," answered Shino.

They parted ways on a very good note and Hinata was feeling a tad bit nostalgic at spending time with her old team from her genin days. She walked back to the Hyuuga compound and opened the door. She took off her shows and entered to find Naruto reading a book in his favorite chair with Hokori sleeping in his lap. She smiled at the scene.

As much as she treasured her old teammates and all the memories they shared, this was reality now and it hit her how blessed she really was.

"How was your dinner?" Naruto asked, softly so as to not wake up the baby.

"It was good," she replied, also very quietly.

"How are Kiba and Shino?" he asked.

"Just fine. No complaints at all. Apparently, fatherhood hasn't changed them much," said Hinata.

"Oh, speaking of fatherhood, did you hear the news?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

"There's another Uchiha in the world," he said. "It's another boy. They named him Senshi."


	12. Chapter 12: Rivals, The Next Generation

Naruto spied his guests coming up the walkway and opened the door before a knock was made.

"Hey Naruto," said Sasuke when he saw Naruto standing at the door. Standing behind Naruto was a very excited - yet still somewhat shy - Hokori who was now just over three years old. "I hope you don't mind...," Sasuke said motioning his head towards what he held in his arms.

"Kasai!" Hokori shouted before anything else could be said.

Kasai finally recognized that Hokori was standing right there (blocked mostly by his father's leg) and ran forward to greet his friend. They had actually seen each other quite a bit as close as their two families were, but it wasn't too often when a meeting was scheduled just for them to play. Usually they were brought along when the adults had some other intention in mind. However, in yesterday's training session, Naruto and Sasuke had agreed that they should bring the boys together and just hang out while they played since there was nothing else going on this particular afternoon.

The boys ran inside and Naruto stepped aside to let Sasuke in as well. "So you are on Senshi duty, too," noted Naruto.

"Sakura wanted to spend time at the hospital today. It was the least I could do," said Sasuke. "I might need your facilities to change and feed him though."

"Definitely not a problem," said Naruto. "I've been there myself with all three of mine."

Sasuke nodded.

"It's such a nice day we should have them play outside," said Naruto.

"Fine with me," answered Sasuke. "Hey, can you take him for a minute?" He handed Senshi to Naruto, who must be a very heavy sleeper with all this excitement going on because he didn't move a muscle.

Naruto brought the three boys outside while Sasuke diverted to the kitchen to grab a drink. When it came to these two families, there was no 'guest' designation when visiting one another. The rule was, if you wanted something, you were free to help yourself.

Sasuke joined Naruto outside and took Senshi back into his arms. They stood on the patio near the house watching Hokori and Kasai run away from them through the green grass.

"Hold on," said Naruto aloud as he ran back into the house. When he emerged, he had a quilt. "You can put him on this while we're out here."

"Oh thanks," said Sasuke. Sasuke put Senshi down and took a seat in one of the chairs already outside. Naruto took a seat as well.

"How is Sakura?" asked Naruto. "I haven't seen her in a while. I've also noticed that she hasn't come to train with us either."

"She's great," answered Sasuke. "With the two boys, life has just changed so much for her. She spends most of her time with them and spends any of her remaining time at the hospital when she has any. It's kind of funny...she was so worried about how her life was going to change once we got married and had kids, then when it happened, I think she is happier now than I've ever seen her."

"That's a good thing, right?" asked Naruto. "I kind of miss having her around all the time, but the time we do have is alright, too. I just want her...and you...to be happy."

"We definitely are," Sasuke stated. "I never would have guessed my life would end up like this...back in the Leaf, married with two kids."

Naruto laughed. "I know. Those missions when we were genin seem so long ago."

"They _were_ so long ago, Dobe!" said Sasuke, taking a sip of his drink. "Actually, did you ever technically pass chunin level?"

"Did you?" asked Naruto back with the same playful yet snippy tone.

"Touché," said Sasuke.

Naruto looked into the grassy field towards the main Hyuuga house and noted that a new face had entered the mix.

"Who is that?" asked Sasuke, also taking notice.

"It looks like...Emi," said Naruto.

They observed for a minute more. She seemed to be fitting right in with the two boys. She was only slightly older than them, but Neji kept her very close to him. During the few times Naruto had seen her in public, she seemed very shy and reserved. He guessed it was just the way Neji was. _I guess playing with these two is the best thing for her then_, he thought to himself. _I hope those two behave themselves._

"What are they playing?" asked Sasuke.

"Looks like some sort of tag," said Naruto. "They seem to be ok playing with her."

"Looks like it," Sasuke agreed. "I wonder where Neji is."

"Weird. I was also just thinking about him. It's strange that he's not around with her outside," said Naruto. "Maybe he's on a mission or something."

Naruto got up from his seat and went back into the house. He emerged with a drink for himself and sat back down.

"Hey, there's something I wanted to tell you," said Sasuke.

"Hmm?" Naruto hummed while he was in the process of taking a sip from his glass.

"Sakura's pregnant again," Sasuke blurted out with no sort of preparation to smooth the conversation.

Naruto sprayed his drink as soon as he heard it. All three kids stopped what they were doing and looked at him curiously, then went back to playing.

"Seriously?!" Naruto asked.

"I thought you might have that reaction," said Sasuke flatly.

"Senshi is only what, 9 months old?" asked Naruto. "You can't even have sex the first month or two."

"..."

"Aren't you pushing her a little hard with the whole 'repopulate the Uchiha' thing and all," asked Naruto.

"Believe it or not, I'm not the one pushing here," said Sasuke. "You can ask her yourself the next time you see her."

"..." Naruto just kept looking at his friend still waiting for some sort of explanation. It just didn't make sense to him.

"Kasai was born and we were a one-child family," explained Sasuke. "No more, no less, and we were happy. We loved having Kasai as part of our family so then we naturally continued and had Senshi. It was Senshi's birth that really sparked something in her. Now she was the mother of two and she seems to crave the time she has with her boys. When Senshi was a few months old, she said to me once that she couldn't wait to have a whole herd of children running around because she loved her role as mother more than anything else...even more than her medical work. We sat down and talked because I brought up exactly what you did...having it look like I'm pushing to repopulate the clan. She assured me she wasn't doing it for me alone. She said that out of everything she's ever done or experienced, being a mother was what brought her the most joy."

"I get it," said Naruto. "Now that you've pointed it out, I can totally see it when I'm around her."

"So, she _is_ happy, Naruto," said Sasuke. "And as much as more kids are good for the Uchiha clan, she is wanting it on a personal level as well."

Naruto sat back and let everything sink in. It certainly wasn't what he and Hinata would choose. In fact, he thought that they were probably done with having kids. He loved them very much, but three was perfect for him. Plus the fact that, in the near future, he would become Hokage and that would take him away from his family even more than it did now and he didn't want to have super young kids who he would never had an opportunity to be around. But if this is what his two best friends in the world chose, then he was fine with it.

"Congratulations," he finally said and smiled.

Sasuke could tell everything was now ok between them..and that was the whole reason he wanted to broach this subject when it was just the two of them. "Thanks."

"Did not!" yelled one voice.

"Did so!" yelled another voice.

"Stop it!" screamed the third voice, then burst into tears.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, got up and ran towards the kids. When they reached them, Kasai had Hokori by the collar of his shirt.

"Hold on!" said Naruto grabbing both boys by their shoulders and pulling them apart. "What seems to be the problem?"

"He's cheating!" shouted Hokori.

"Am not!" yelled Kasai. "I beat you fair and square!"

"Wahhhh!" Emi continued to cry.

Tenten was now running towards the scene. "Is everything ok?" she asked.

"They're fine," said Sasuke. "I think she's just upset because they're arguing."

"Oh...I see," she commented. Tenten hoisted Emi up in her arms. "I'm going to go see if I can calm her down." She started to walk towards her own home in the Hyuuga compound with her daughter.

"Sorry!" shouted Naruto after her. He then turned his attention back to the boys.

"I'm very disappointed in you," said Naruto. "First of all, there shouldn't be any cheating."

"And even if there was, this is not the way to handle it," added Sasuke.

"But Dad...I won, honest! It was a race from the tree to the building over there. I was the first one to touch the wall," pleaded Kasai.

"You left too early," noted Hokori.

"Emi was there at the start," said Kasai. "She would have said something!"

"Emi likes you better," said Hokori now showing a blatant pouty face.

"This isn't getting us anywhere," said Naruto.

Then a familiar wail was heard from near Naruto's patio. Sasuke turned his head to verify Senshi was now awake. He facepalmed at the timing of it all.

"C'mon Sasuke," Naruto urged his friend. "Let's go inside and get a snack and let these two cool off."

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

As soon as they got inside their house, Tenten crouched so that she was on the same level as Emi. "Are you sure you are ok?" she asked.

"Hm-mmm," said Emi, rubbing her red teary eyes. "I don't like it when they fight."

"What was the fight about?" asked Tenten.

"They were running a race and Kasai thought he won but Hokori said he cheated," explained Emi.

"How do you cheat at a foot race?" asked Tenten.

"Hokori said Kasai started too early and that I let him do it," said Emi.

"Well...did you?" asked Tenten.

Emi let out the slightest of smiles through her tears indicating her answer.

"Oh now princess, you shouldn't play favorites like that," explained Tenten.

"But I wanted Kasai to win," Emi explained. She was three, after all.

Tenten stood up and sighed. She thought of the rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke. No matter how close they were, there would always be a rivalry between the two of them.

"Seems like those two will be just about the same as their fathers," she said aloud to herself. She turned her attention to her daughter. "Let's go get something to eat."

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

The Academy class bell rang for afternoon break and recess began just as it did every other school day. Some of the 2nd year students got up to go outside; others just stayed in their seats in the classroom. Even though they were still relatively young, some measure of freedom was still afforded to the younger students at the academy.

"Aiko!" shouted one classmate to her friend. Aiko looked up and smiled. "Want to go outside?"

"Sure," Aiko replied and closed the book she had planned on reading during the break. She looked over at her brother who also remained in the room.

Just then, another classmate stuck his head in the doorway and shouted, "Kiro, we're playing a quick game of soccer. Want to join?"

Kiro looked up at his classmate and nodded. He quickly got up and scrambled for the exit.

It did take a little while, just as Sasuke had told him, but thanks to Kiro's complete attitude change, little by little, things at the Academy seemed to change for the young shinobi.

Little did Kiro know, but Aiko had actually spurred on the change by confronting many of their classmates one day when Kiro was home sick and they still managed to make fun of him even when he wasn't there. She yelled at them and shamed them and asked exactly how bad were the things that Kiro did to them to make them hate him so much. The aggressive, in-your-face teasing noticeably minimized after that.

Kiro stopped acting like he was the best shinobi in the class and the comments he made about being superior to all the others were no longer defended. He simply kept his nose clean. After a while, not only had the teasing and bullying stopped, but in leading by example through hard work and study, Kiro had impressed quite a few in the class.

When the first classmate approached him to see if he wanted to join in on something, Kiro finally felt that he had turned the corner. Not only that, but it had gone exactly as Sasuke had stated. From then on, he considered Sasuke to be an important mentor whose opinion he would value greatly. He was much happier and had finally been accepted by his classmates.


	13. Chapter 13: The Next Academy Class

Sakura took a seat next to Sasuke on one side of the table while Iruka took a seat on the other side. It was a familiar scene for those people who had children approaching the age when they might be ready to enter the academy.

"I wanted to thank you for allowing us to postpone the original meeting," said Sakura.

"Well, under the circumstances, I think your reason for cancelling had to be among the best I've heard in a while," Iruka laughed lightly with his former students.

Sakura, once again relatively flat-stomached as compared to only two weeks ago, was now a mother of three. Mikoto was born to her excited parents with little fanfare and with an air of familiar repetition. Unlike the birth of Kasai when all this pregnancy, birthing and infant stuff was new to Sakura and Sasuke, they were now well-seasoned and well-prepared. Within a few days, Sakura was back up on her feet again, caring for her family with one additional loved child to take care of.

Sasuke did shed a few tears after the birth of his first daughter. As much as he loved all three of his children, this new little girl somehow reminded him of his mother so much. Sakura was more than happy to agree to name their daughter after his beloved mother who died so long ago.

But now...with Mikoto and Senshi being cared for by Sakura's parents, all the focus was on Kasai.

Iruka quizzed Sakura and Sasuke about Kasai's behavior and readiness. Everything seemed to be in order and Iruka approved Kasai's start with the next academy class. However, he did have one final question...

"Has he demonstrated the use of the Sharingan yet?" Iruka-sensei asked.

Sasuke closed his eyes, knowing this question was eventually going to come. He was very proud of his Uchiha clan heritage, but still didn't like explaining the clan's intricacies to outsiders who weren't already aware.

"If he does inherit the Sharingan, I predict it will be quite a while yet until it surfaces," said Sasuke, noting to himself that Kasai is growing up within a loving family and is surrounded by many friends. "One thing I learned during the last war, Iruka-sensei, was another variable to add to the history of the Sharingan."

"Oh? What's that? I haven't heard any new information about the Sharingan...since even before you graduated the academy," answered Iruka.

"The emergence of the Sharingan actually awakens within an Uchiha who has experienced great turmoil or mental stress. Specifically, I was told that it emerges when an Uchiha loves, then loses that love that the special chakra needed for a Sharingan awakening starts to be seen in the brain," explained Sasuke.

"But how does that make sense?" asked Iruka-sensei. "Not everyone normally experiences that level of emotional loss, yet didn't most of the Uchiha have a Sharingan before the clan was..."

He couldn't bring himself to continue that sentence.

"Obviously, I haven't been able to study it or observe it," said Sasuke. "I'm only going based on what I was told by the Kage during the war. However, I do believe what I was told...and with the peaceful world we have lived in for the last several years, I cannot anticipate Kasai experiencing that sort of turmoil in the near future."

"But Sasuke, perhaps it is even something as small as being upset at a friend...or thinking someone has treated you unfairly," said Iruka.

Sasuke gave him a look. Iruka understood that the conversation was over.

"I will, however, keep an eye on Kasai for any evidence of the Sharingan. Please let me know if he awakens it while not in my care...I need to be careful with the children with visual prowess so that they do not harm the other students in case of accidental activation."

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei. We will keep you informed," said Sakura.

OlOlOlOlOlO

_A few months later..._

Kasai, Sakura and Ino all walked to the Academy grounds one hot summer evening. All the parents and friends of the newest students were invited to an open house so that they could meet the staff and become better acquainted with who was in class with their children.

"Do you like being at the Academy, Kasai?" asked Ino of her best friend's son.

"It's ok," he answered. "I'm not sure I really need it for myself, but I'm going because there's someone I need to keep an eye on."

Ino was surprised by that reply. She looked at Sakura who could only shrug at her son's confidence and pride boiling over.

"So who is it you need to keep an eye on?" asked Ino.

"Uzumaki," Kasai replied. "He's such a goody-goody. It's a ton of fun to get him all riled up. Speaking of which...there he is! Hokori!" he shouted and waved at his friend before running off to greet him.

"So what was that all about?" asked Ino.

Sakura sighed. "It's complicated. There's actually four kids involved in that current situation."

"Four? Who else?" asked Ino.

"Hokori and Kasai...but also Kiro and Emi," said Sakura. "There is a definite rivalry between Kasai and Hokori, however, they are also best friends. Kasai seems to have trouble now and again with the fact that Hokori is both a friend and adversary at the same time."

"But why the other two?" asked Ino.

"Emi because she is their third wheel...kind of like I was to Naruto and Sasuke. There is some jealously there...they both want Emi to like them the best," explained Sakura.

"Isn't that a little...immature?" asked Ino. "Nevermind, they are first years after all."

"And as for Kiro, his name gets brought up quite a lot, too. He is a super star student in his third year now and Hokori idolizes his big brother. Kasai is threatened by that...thinks that Kiro is going to convince Hokori to stay away from him or something. Sasuke is also a mentor to Kiro and Kasai sees that as well. All this talk about how good Kiro is just throws Kasai off-balance a bit. When Sasuke told him that Kiro would be an excellent role model for him, Kasai just about lost it. He screamed 'Don't try to make me into an Uzumaki!'," Sakura explained.

"Ah, I see. You're right...it is a little complicated," noted Ino.

"So you never told me why you are here with me?" asked Sakura, switching to a new subject. "When I mentioned this open house to you yesterday when we were shopping, you asked immediately if you could come along. It's not to take Sasuke's place, is it? I'm a big girl now - I can handle things while he's off on a mission."

Ino laughed. "No, no! You have it all wrong. It's just been so long since I've been to the Academy, I just felt like I wanted to visit. The fact that there was already a scheduled open house just made it all the more convenient."

"Why the sudden nostalgia?" asked Sakura. "Are you thinking of teaching here?"

"No, that's not it," Ino said. She took a deep breath. "You know how long Chouji and I have been trying to get pregnant, right?"

"Yeah, since the day you guys got married pretty much," answered Sakura.

"Right. Well...," Ino said.

"You're pregnant?!" shouted Sakura.

Ino smiled widely and nodded to her friend. "Now that this is finally real, I just sort of started thinking about my childhood experiences. The Academy was a huge part of my days growing up and I just felt like seeing how much it had changed from when we went here."

Sakura pulled Ino into a hug. "Congratulations," she said.

"You are definitely going to help me through this whole pregnancy thing, right?" asked Ino, as the hug broke.

"Absolutely," said Sakura. "Through the pregnancy and the birth...definitely!"

Just then, there was a ruckus on the playground that interrupted the happy moment between Sakura and Ino. Sakura rolled her eyes...it was Kasai and Hokori again.

"Let's go see what he did this time," she said to Ino.

As they walked towards the kids, Iruka-sensei had already sent them to two separate areas of the yard to cool off.

Sakura approached him. "Is he still being a troublemaker?" she asked.

"Not since the days of Naruto and Sasuke have I seen two kids so wrapped up with one another," noted Iruka. "Along with the Hyuuga girl, they are just like a mini-Team 7."

OlOlOlOlOlO

Kaskashi Hatake was running late, as usual. Not that it was that important; it was just a social occasion after all. Team 7...or Team Kakashi, depending on when you joined…had decided to schedule a dinner together at one of the local sushi houses in Konoha.

Outside the restaurant stood Yamato, just sort of holding up one of the pillars at the entrance as he leaned against it.

"Surely my late arrival doesn't warrant a look-out," said Kakashi when he finally reached the restaurant.

"Just getting some fresh air," Yamato replied. "Everyone else is already inside."

"Let's go in, then," said Kakashi, who then took the lead.

Sai was actually the first one on the team to suggest this get-together. He was always invited to train with Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi, but rarely found the time to actually take them up on their offer. It was a few weeks ago when he had a day off and decided to spend it training with his old teammates. It was then that nostalgia kicked in and he made the suggestion that they ought to get everyone together.

The other infrequently seen Team 7 member was Yamato. Since the war, he had taken it upon himself to become a sensei for a new genin team that had graduated from the Academy just last year and most of his time these days was spent with them.

When he arrived in the room, Kakashi greeted everyone. He noted that Hinata was also in attendance, but there was a new face to the mix that he wasn't expecting to see there. Significant others, not that they all had one, were also invited to join in on the occasion.

Kakashi nodded a greeting to the young shinobi who nodded back her greeting to him. She sat between Sai and Hinata, which he thought might be a clue as to why she was there. There was only one explanation that made sense, yet he still had a hard time accepting it.

The food was ordered and a good time was had by all. The talk centered around old times as well as recent missions...there were even a few stories thrown in there, especially by Yamato, who shared some of the funniest escapades his new team had recently experienced.

Sai excused himself to use the bathroom. Kakashi noticed and followed since he was still curious about the situation from earlier. He surmised the unexpected guest had probably been invited by Sai.

"Sai, isn't that Kanja Koshosuru out there?" he asked him out of the blue as the two men took care of their business.

"Yes it is. Do you know her well Kakashi-sensei?" Sai asked in reply.

"I have worked with her on occasion," Kakashi replied. This was indeed true, especially on diplomatic missions, but for some reason his mind immediately went to that time Kanja and her brother Sumato were on their first real mission with Sasuke and ended up being attacked. It was Kakashi's team that ultimately found them and got them safely to Mist to recover.

"I'm much better at reading body language than I used to be," said Sai preemptively. "Yes, we are currently dating. I can tell you are dying to know. If you don't mind, please don't say anything perverted to her."

Kakashi rolled his one visible eye. "I've never been _that_ bad," said Kakashi. He paused for a few seconds. "Having known you for so long Sai, you just never seemed the type to seek the companionship of a woman. How exactly did this come about if you don't mind me asking?"

Sai let out the slightest of smiles. "I'm done here. Let's go back to the table. I'm sure you are not the only curious one here tonight and I'd rather just tell the story once."

The two men returned to the table at the same time and took their seats. When the conversation waned, Sai took it as a sign that it was ok to talk about something new. He began. "I know most of you know Kanja of the Koshosuru clan..." He paused to nod his head towards a nosy Kakashi. "...and you are probably asking yourselves why she is here. I wanted you to know that I invited her because she and I are currently dating."

"There's a perfect pair if there ever was one," whispered Sakura to Sasuke's ear. "Both are so quiet and passive, yet both are extremely talented shinobi."

"Dating? You're kidding! How did you guys end up getting together?" asked Naruto, not being bashful about the situation at all.

"We were on a mission together a few months ago. It was just the two of us since it was a diplomatic mission and Lady Tsunade said that she considered it low-risk. I was assigned to guard Kanja at a conference in the Hidden Mist. It was Mist, Hidden Rain and Hidden Waves who were meeting over a few topics that had been controversial in the past. Kanja had been hired by Mist to help facilitate the conference and emotionally read all the diplomats for them; I stood behind her watching her work for hours on end for those three days. I greatly respected her talent as a shinobi…and frankly, I thought she was pretty cute as well."

"So then what happened?"" asked Sakura.

"I invited him to have dinner with me," interjected Kanja herself, a little pink in the face. "I was getting kind of sick of eating alone and he was someone I already knew and considered a friend. After dinner we..." She paused in the middle of her sentence to reflect.

"C'mon you guys, you can't leave us hanging there," said Naruto.

"Is that when it got romantic?" asked Sakura.

Kanja nodded, but Sai talked. He grabbed her hand and held it as they sat there. "I walked her back to her room after dinner, but couldn't seem to leave her. I wanted to spend more time with her even if I couldn't quite say it out loud yet. It was right then and there that I realized I liked her as more than a friend."

"And when he paused, I thought he might have been thinking something similar to what I was thinking. I could tell from his emotions what he was feeling so...so I kissed him!" she exclaimed.

"Seriously?!" Kakashi interjected. "Shy little Kanja took the lead?"

Now she really started blushing. "It's not hard when you can read emotions like I can," she practically whispered.

Sai smiled widely. "And that's what happened. We've been dating ever since."

"Well, Kanja, you are definitely in for it now…part of Team 7 by association for what it's worth. If you have any questions, that lady over there is the one to ask," Kakashi jovially stated while smiling broadly and pointing at Hinata.

"What?" Naruto asked as clueless as ever.


End file.
